The Iranian government agreed Sunday that Egyptian tourists would no longer need visas to visit Iran, according to Iranian Mehr News.
The move comes a day after inaugurating the first flight between Cairo and Tehran since Iran’s Islamic Revolution 34 years ago.
Security services in Aswan took strong measures to secure 58 Iranian tourists who arrived there Saturday, escorting them throughout their visit.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent visit to Cairo marked an ease in icy relations between the two countries.
However, tensions between Iran and Gulf countries, which are major sources of foreign aid to Egypt, are likely to continue, and many Egyptians — particularly hardline Islamists — are wary of influence from Iran, which is mostly Shia.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
