Egypt’s foreign minister heads to Qatar on Gulf tour to discuss regional escalation

DOHA – 15 March 2026: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty travelled to Qatar on Sunday at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at coordinating with regional partners over the rapidly evolving military escalation in the Middle East.

The visit, carried out under directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, also aims to convey Egypt’s solidarity with Arab countries, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The visit reflects Egypt’s unwavering position in support of Qatar and other Arab states, the ministry said.

It affirmed that the Egyptian leadership, government and people stand in full solidarity with Qatar in facing the ongoing security challenges.

Cairo also reiterated its commitment to joint efforts aimed at reducing tensions and prioritizing diplomatic efforts to preserve regional peace and security.

Abdelatty’s Gulf tour comes two weeks into the US-Israeli war, with retaliatory Iranian strikes against several countries in the region killing dozens, disrupting oil supplies, and deepening Middle East instability.

The Iranian attacks were launched in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran since February 28, targeting Israel as well as other regional countries with significant US military presence.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Friday stressed Egypt’s outright rejection of Iranian attacks on Gulf states, as well as Jordan and Iraq, saying these countries did not support or participate in the war against Iran.

Instead, they contributed to de-escalation efforts and supported Iranian-US negotiations in pursuit of a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, El-Sisi said during a phone conversation with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.