Skip to main content

The Coming Rapprochement Between Iran and the Brotherhood

As both Sunni and Shiite groups in the Middle East are targeted by the West and its allies, some predict a forthcoming Sunni-Shiite rapprochement.
People pray at the shrine of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein ibn Ali at the Al-Hussein mosque, named after the grandson, before Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the mosque in old Cairo February 5, 2013. Ahmadinejad was both kissed and scolded on Tuesday when he began the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since Tehran's 1979 Islamic revolution. The trip was meant to underline a thaw in relations since Egyptians elected an Islamist head of state, President Mohamed Mursi, last Jun
Read in 

A Lebanese MP close to Hezbollah confirmed to Al-Monitor that the "political Shiite" camp, stretching from Tehran to Beirut, is seriously considering a possible rapprochement with Sunni political Islam, represented by the Muslim Brotherhood in particular.

The MP's statements came hours before Hamas leader Ahmed Youssef declared that meetings were held between Hamas — considered to be the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood — and Iranian officials, "to solve some of the issues that caused misunderstanding between the two sides."

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.