EGYPT PERSPECTIVE

Cairo, July 21, 2026. As the Houthis claim they want to break a blockade targeting them and US strikes on Iran enter their ninth consecutive night, Egypt is adopting a posture of diplomatic coordination rather than military engagement. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has "strongly condemned" Iranian attacks that hit vital civilian installations in Kuwait, including a power plant and a desalination plant that were struck twice in two days, calling them a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty" of an Arab state and a "dangerous escalation" for the stability of the Gulf.

This condemnation is part of an intense regional coordination sequence. The head of Saudi diplomacy, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, spoke by phone with his Egyptian, Qatari, and Jordanian counterparts to "contain the escalation" and "strengthen regional security," as hostilities spread to Bahrain, Kuwait, and the maritime routes of the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar and Pakistan, on their part, have submitted a joint proposal calling on Tehran and Washington to return to their pre-July 9 positions as a precondition for resuming negotiations.

On the maritime issue, Cairo is also toughening its stance. Along with Eritrea, Egypt has rejected "any attempt by non-riparian parties to impose security arrangements" in the Red Sea, stating that the administration of this strategic waterway "falls under the exclusive responsibility of the riparian states." Minister Badr Abdelatty presented the stability of the region as "a direct extension of Egyptian national security," a message that applies to the Red Sea and, by implication, to the new front opened by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

Cairo is avoiding direct involvement for now, but the accumulation of condemnations - Kuwait, and then again Kuwait after a second strike on the same infrastructure - reflects growing concern over a conflict that, according to analysts cited by the Egyptian press, risks "exceeding the intentions of both sides" and reducing diplomatic maneuvering room, at a time when the number of US military personnel killed in the region continues to rise.