Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi met CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Cairo on Sunday and called for an agreement to resolve the Iran crisis and restore regional stability.
Sisi expressed Cairo's "full support for efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement that resolves the Iranian crisis, thereby contributing to the restoration of regional security and stability and ensuring the freedom of international navigation,” the presidency said in a statement.
He also stressed Egypt’s rejection of any assault against the security and sovereignty of Arab countries and underlined the need to solve regional crises through diplomatic means while addressing their root causes.
Regional tensions escalated after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February, prompting Tehran to respond with strikes on countries in the region hosting US military assets.
Tehran also closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important waterways for oil and gas shipments.
Washington and Tehran reached an agreement in June to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, but the deal later faltered amid disagreements over navigation and security arrangements in the strategic waterway.
Protection of Palestinians
President Sisi also called for the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement during Sunday’s meeting.
He praised mediators’ efforts to implement the Gaza ceasefire roadmap and stressed Egypt's commitment to consolidating the truce, protecting civilians, ensuring aid access and creating conditions for a political process toward a two-state solution, the statement said.
US President Donald Trump announced a 20-point plan to end the Gaza war on September 29 2025.
It included the release of Israeli captives, the disarmament of Hamas, a partial Israeli withdrawal, the formation of a technocratic administration and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
The first phase of the plan took effect on October 10 2025.
The second phase calls for a broader Israeli military withdrawal, reconstruction and the start of the disarmament process.
Israel, however, continues to occupy about 70 percent of Gaza and insists that Palestinian factions must disarm before it withdraws.
The agreement followed two years of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 74,000 people, injured over 174,000 since October 2023 and left the entire Palestinian enclave in ruins.
