Iran expressed its respect for the will of the Egyptian people on Thursday, after the removal of Mohamed Morsy from the presidency by the armed forces.
“Iran respects the will of the smart, civilized Egyptian people and insists on the necessity to respond to its legitimate demands,” a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry, Abbas Arachqi, said in statements quoted by Nasimonline, an Iranian news website.
The statement highlights a change in Iran's position after it urged the Egyptian army on Tuesday to respect " the vote of people." The call came after the army gave the presidency 48 hours on Monday to respond to protesters' demands for Morsy to stand down and field early presidential elections.
Under Morsy, Egypt's relations with Iran witnessed gradual improvement and collaboration in tourism after more than 30 years of severed ties.
Differences in positions on the sectarian Syrian conflict has posed challenges to the piecemeal rapprochement with Shia-majority Iran.
