Egypt Condemns Iranian Attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain; Abdelatty Coordinates With Gulf States

Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a formal condemnation of Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain on June 6, 2026, as the regional conflict involving Iran and its adversaries continued to escalate following 'Operation Epic Fury' (the US-Israel-led military campaign against Iran that began in late February 2026). Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls with Qatar's Prime Minister and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister on June 6 to coordinate Arab diplomatic responses. Egypt's condemnation reflected its cautious but consistent alignment with Gulf Arab states on the Iran conflict — a significant position given Cairo's own complex history with Tehran, which had included the 2023 diplomatic normalization efforts and Egypt's participation as an observer in BRICS+ naval exercises alongside Iran. Egypt's stance emphasized 'Arab sovereignty, international law, and the inadmissibility of attacks on Arab capitals,' framing the response as a principled defense of Arab collective security rather than a proxy alignment. Egypt is walking a delicate line: deep economic ties with Gulf donors (who provide billions in deposits and investment) push Cairo toward the Saudi-UAE-US alignment, while Egypt's role as a Gaza mediator requires maintaining working relationships with Iran-linked actors including Hamas.