Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo supports “full de-escalation, not escalation” in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and freedom of navigation, warning that Egypt’s Suez Canal losses from navigation problems in the area reached nearly $11 billion.
Abdelatty made the remarks Thursday evening during an extensive briefing with representatives of foreign media, attended by Anadolu’s correspondent, in which he reviewed Egypt’s position on several regional and international developments.
The Egyptian minister’s comments come amid renewed tensions around Bab el-Mandeb as Yemen’s Houthi group moves toward the strategic maritime area and attempts to control it.
“We spoke about Bab el-Mandeb and freedom of navigation there, and we are for full de-escalation and not escalation,” Abdelatty said.
“Egypt is the country most affected by any problem that occurs in navigation, and we approached $11 billion in net Egyptian losses from the decline in Suez Canal revenues,” he added.
Abdelatty said Cairo is in constant contact with Yemen’s legitimate government and is working to reduce escalation there.
Since late 2023, navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb has faced disruptions and attacks carried out by the Houthis against ships they said were linked to Israel or heading there, against the backdrop of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, prompting many vessels to change routes and avoid passing through the Suez Canal.
Abdelatty said Egypt is communicating with all regional and international parties to reduce escalation, stressing again that military solutions only lead to more tension and escalation.
On Gaza, Abdelatty reviewed Egypt’s intensive efforts to implement the requirements of the first phase of the Gaza agreement, which began on Oct. 10, 2025, and move to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which started last July.
Egypt and its partners had achieved a major result by convincing Palestinian factions, led by Hamas, to agree to hand over their weapons in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from areas it occupied in Gaza, along with the implementation of the remaining requirements of the first and second phases, he said.
Abdelatty said some first-phase requirements had not yet been implemented, foremost the entry of 600 aid trucks into Gaza daily.
“The most important point in the second phase was the handover of the factions’ weapons and Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip. Hamas agreed to that, but Israel did not implement its obligations,” he said.
He stressed the need to “halt all Israeli measures that undermine chances of achieving calm, foremost settlement expansion and land confiscation.”
Abdelatty said the continuation of these practices threatens prospects for establishing a Palestinian state and undermines chances for a just and lasting peace.
Palestinians warn that Israel is paving the way for the formal annexation of the occupied West Bank through illegal settlement expansion and attacks by the army and occupiers, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israel, with US support, has been carrying out genocide in Gaza, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000 others, while destroying around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.
On the war on Iran, Abdelatty said Egypt is continuing its efforts and contacts with various parties to push for de-escalation and prioritize diplomacy and dialogue.
He stressed the need to return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US signed in mid-June, describing it as an important path toward a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that would spare the region the dangers of a wider war and its serious consequences for energy and food security in the region and the world.
Abdelatty also stressed the need to “guarantee the security and safety of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring the flow of trade and international energy supplies.”
He said countries in the region are paying the price for escalation between Washington and Tehran.
“Some African countries now have a fuel crisis and a fertilizer crisis because of the war on Iran and its economic repercussions,” he said.
Abdelatty said Egypt will continue all efforts and contacts with all parties to return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and guarantee security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
He also reiterated Egypt’s condemnation of any attacks on Arab countries as part of the US-Iran escalation.
The US and Iran have exchanged military attacks amid stalled negotiations over disagreements related to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for energy and goods supplies.
On Feb. 28, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing more than 3,000 people, according to Tehran, which responded with attacks on US bases in the region.
The Egyptian foreign minister also addressed regional security arrangements, stressing the importance of strengthening collective capacity to protect Arab national security.
He called for commitment to clear principles, foremost respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states, good neighborliness, non-interference in internal affairs, adherence to international law and refraining from measures that could escalate tension or threaten regional security and stability.
Abdelatty said the Joint Arab Defense Treaty should be the core of any regional security structure.
On developments in Sudan, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the preservation of state institutions.
He stressed the importance of continuing efforts to end the crisis and ease the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Egypt will continue pushing for political solutions and an inclusive Sudanese political process that shapes the country’s future, he said.
Abdelatty said Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity are a red line for Egypt, adding that Cairo will not allow any measures or steps that could affect them.
Since April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting the Sudanese army over a dispute regarding their integration into the military, causing famine in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of Sudanese and displacing 13 million people.
On Lebanon, Abdelatty renewed Egypt’s condemnation of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
He stressed the need for full and non-selective implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the extension of Lebanese state sovereignty over all its territory and the restriction of weapons, in a way that preserves Lebanon’s security and stability.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have continued despite a US-brokered “framework formula” signed by Beirut and Tel Aviv on June 26, which provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territory in return for the deployment of the Lebanese army there.
On Egypt’s water security, Abdelatty said his country’s foreign policy toward Nile Basin countries is based on cooperation, development, shared interests and mutual benefit.
Preserving Egypt’s water security does not conflict with the development aspirations of other countries, he said, adding that the Nile River must be managed according to international law, especially the principles of no harm, cooperation and consensus.
Abdelatty expressed Cairo’s complete rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law in the eastern Nile Basin.
Egypt will take all measures guaranteed to it under international law to protect its rights and the existential resources of its people, he added.
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