Iran Hopes To Restore Tourist Flights To Egypt

Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi (right) greets his Iranian counterpart, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, in Cairo

Iran's Foreign Ministry says it hopes Egypt can resume tourist flights to the country to improve relations.

Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that Iran hopes "to witness more visits between the two nations."

Egypt suspended tourist flights from Iran on April 8, a week after direct flights between the two countries resumed for the first time in more than three decades.

Egypt did not give a reason, but the move followed an outcry from hard-line Sunni Muslims angered about visitors from the mostly Shi'ite country.

Egypt and Iran severed ties after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

But in February, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian head of state to visit Egypt in more than three decades.

Last week, protesters from the ultraconservative Salafi movement tried to storm the residence of Iran's top diplomat in Cairo.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP