Cairo contacts Tehran over US-Iran talks as ceasefire hangs in balance

CAIRO – 23 May 2026: Egypt has contacted Iran in an effort to push for a breakthrough in talks between Washington and Tehran, amid a fragile ceasefire and negotiations that have so far failed to move the two sides closer to ending the war.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts to secure a breakthrough in the talks.

Abdelatty said progress in the negotiations would help ease regional tensions and avert the risk of a broader conflict and its impact on regional security and stability.

The call came as US President Donald Trump was said to be seriously considering launching new strikes against Iran if no breakthrough is reached in the talks, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

'Excessive, Unreasonable Demands'

Washington says it seeks a deal that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and secure the transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium abroad.

“We will get it,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, referring to the enriched uranium. “We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”

Iran, which has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon and says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, has described the US demands as “excessive and unreasonable.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that Tehran’s current priority is ending the war rather than discussing the nuclear file, according to state news agency IRNA.

“First, we must end the war in a way that meets our interests and addresses our concerns, and only then can we discuss other issues, or not discuss them,” he said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader has also ordered that the country’s enriched uranium must not leave Iran, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two senior Iranian sources.

Baghaei said Tehran’s position on highly enriched uranium is “clearly defined,” adding that insisting on discussing the issue in detail at this stage “will not lead anywhere.”

Mediators Pursuing 'MoU'

During their phone call, Araghchi briefed Abdelatty on updates of the US-Iran talks with the help of mediators.

A Qatari negotiating team has also visited Tehran to help secure a deal to end the war and resolve outstanding issues, reportedly meeting Pakistani mediators over the weekend.

Abdelatty earlier said Egypt is coordinating with regional countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council states, as well as with the Americans, to reach an understanding on the principles that will guide the negotiations.

The foreign minister said a potential “memorandum of understanding” could “hopefully” be signed by the US and Iran to “lead the way for setting the parameters and principles,” expressing hope that “things will move in the right direction.”

He added that such an MoU would later be subject to negotiations over a specified period to address different issues, including the nuclear file.

Reviewing the outcomes of the Pakistani delegation visit, Baghaei said on Saturday that an MoU focused on ending the war and the US naval blockade is being finalized.