The Iranian Al-Quds Brigade leader Qassem Suleimani denied on Monday having visited Cairo in December, according to a statement by the Iranian Fars news agency. The UK newspaper The Times alleged last week that Suleimani had come to Cairo in a secret visit to help the Muslim Brotherhood develop their own spy agency.
The article alleged high-ranking members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the presidential circle had confirmed the meeting, but both the Brotherhood and the presidency have since denied such a meeting ever occurred.
Numerous attempts to contact the author were rejected by The Times, who have refused to retract the story.
In 2012 President Mohamed Morsy was the first Egyptian official to visit Iran in over 30 years. Since coming to power Morsy has included Iran in several talks surrounding the Syrian crisis, but has kept the relationship cool, as economic trade with Iran could trigger stern reactions from the US and Europe, both of which have pledged considerable amounts of aid to help Egypt develop.
