Renaming of Tehran street signals warming Egypt-Iran relations
Egypt-Iran relations seem to be improving as Tehran has decided to rename a street which previously honoured the assassin of a former Egyptian President, according to Asharq Al-Aswat on July 18th.
The street, which has long been a source of tension between the two nations, was named after Khalid al-Islamabouli, the Egyptian army officer who assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981, following the president’s move to sign the 1978 Camp David peace accords with Israel.
In the first official Egyptian response to the change, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Tamim Khallaf said to Asharq Al-Aswat that “renaming the street is a positive step in Egyptian-Iranian relations. It helps put matters back on the right track.”
The street in Tehran was renamed after Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy militia. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27th 2024. The decision to rename the street was made by the Tehran City Council.
The change was part of a wider initiative in which 11 streets of Tehran were renamed in June. According to Iranian media, an official ceremony was held to unveil the new name, which was attended by officials, intellectuals, and civil society figures.
Iran and Egypt’s mutual opposition to Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza has provided them with a common interest, strengthening bilateral relations which have gradually warmed since Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties in 2023, according to The Guardian on March 10th 2023. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Cairo to engage in talks aimed at deepening bilateral ties.
Iranian diplomatic sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Araghchi was to discuss “ways of developing and advancing bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues, foremost among them the genocide in Gaza,” according to The New Arab on May 30th.
Egypt also condemned Israel’s direct attack on Iran in June 2025, labelling the assault as a serious provocation with potentially destabilising consequences for the Middle East.
Cairo-based expert on Iranian affairs, Dr. Hoda Raouf, stated that Iran’s decision to rename the street in Tehran signals “a meaningful shift and a clear sign of Iran’s serious intent to restore relations with Egypt.”
She highlighted two core components of Egypt-Iran relations, which demonstrate their delicate nature. The first concerns regional security, most notably Egypt’s opposition to Iran’s interference in regional states such as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. The second component was identified as the bilateral relationship which has long been tense due to controversial gestures such as Iran’s glorification of Sadat’s assassin.
Political philosopher and specialist on Iran Dr. Mohamed Khairy agreed that the move represents “a significant development” to an often-difficult relationship.
He underlined the fact that the decision was made via a majority vote and was attended by influential Iranian political figures, highlighting a serious desire to improve Egypt-Iran relations.
Asharq Al-Aswat, Maghrebi.org, The Guardian, The New Arab
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