Iran says enemies of Egypt seek to create sectarian discord

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araqchi says enemies who suffered losses through the Egyptian revolution seek to create religious and ethnic conflict in Egypt.

Araqchi said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday that Iran condemns any attempt to sow discord among Muslim nations as foreign plots to fuel tensions.

Stressing the importance of national unity in Egypt for Iran, Araqchi said, “At first the enemies were trying to create conflict between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, and now they are trying to sow discord among different Islamic sects.”

The Iranian official added that Takfiri groups also seek to create sectarian discord in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan.

On June 23, several hundred Takfiris surrounded and attacked the house of a prominent Shia cleric in the village of Abu Mussalam near Cairo in Giza Province, murdering Sheikh Hassan Shehata and three of his followers. Their bodies were then dragged into the streets by the extremist assailants.

Takfiri extremists claim that only their interpretation of Islam is correct and believe that all other Muslims are infidels.

Recently, the Shia community in Egypt is being targeted by Salafis with the support of a number of countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Recent Developments in Egypt

In response to a question about recent protests in Egypt against President Mohamed Morsi, Araqchi said, “We consider recent developments in Egypt a domestic issue just like developments in Turkey.”

Describing Egypt as an important country in the Muslim world, Araqchi stated, “Peace and stability in Egypt is of high importance, and we hope that Egyptian people, who brought about their revolution, can control future developments in this country.”

On June 30, President Morsi marks one year in power as Egypt’s first freely elected president.

Egypt has witnessed anti-government protests since Morsi took office in June 2012 in landmark elections, which were held following the ouster of former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian opposition groups accuse the government of being dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Russia

When asked about President Ahmadinejad’s schedule for the coming weeks, Araqchi said the Iranian president will visit Russia to take part in the meeting of Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which is to be held on July 1-2.

The GECF members are Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The Netherlands, Norway, Kazakhstan and Iraq have the status of observers.

Iran is making efforts to up its gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investments, especially in South Pars Gas Field.

Araqchi added that Ahmadinejad will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the conference to discuss international and regional issues including the ongoing crisis in Syria.