Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pledged that the country's army will defend members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf if they face a direct threat from any country.
"We wholeheartedly stand by our brothers in the Gulf and if security of the Gulf is endangered and directly threatened by anyone, the people of Egypt […] will not accept that and send its forces to defend their brothers," he was quoted by Youm7 newspaper as saying.
READ MORE: 'Economic War': Iran Vows to Continue Selling Oil as US Sanctions Take Effect
When asked about the US sanctions against Iran, Sisi pointed out that "instability affects all of us."
Sisi made the statement a day after a new batch of US anti-Iranian sanctions, targeting the Islamic Republic's oil trade as well as shipping and banking, came into force.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington expected all countries to eventually reduce their oil imports from Iran to zero. At the same time, Washington temporarily exempted eight nations from the sanctions on importing oil from Iran. They include China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.
READ MORE: Trump: Sanctions Against Iran to Remain 'in Full Force' Until New Deal Reached
Other signatories to the JCPOA, including Russia, France, the UK, China and Germany, are struggling to preserve the deal and find a way to bypass US sanctions, which also jeopardize foreign companies doing business with the Islamic Republic.
