BREAKING NEWS

Iranian president Rouhani calls on Egypt not to suppress the people

DUBAI - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Egyptian authorities on Thursday not to suppress the masses after at least 525 people died when security forces moved in against Muslim Brotherhood protesters.
Iran welcomed the fall in 2011 of secular President Hosni Mubarak and at first hailed the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as part of what it saw as an "Islamic awakening" across the Arab world.
But relations cooled after President Mohamed Morsi voiced support for Syrian rebels fighting Tehran's ally President Bashar Assad. Iranian officials have nevertheless condemned the military takeover in Egypt and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.
"The great people of Egypt are a great and freedom-seeking people. Do not suppress them. The way of the people is the way of democracy and Islam. Everyone in the world should respect the wishes of the Egyptian people," Rouhani told parliament.