Arab States’ Aid to Egypt Seen as Effort to Block Iran Influence

The United Arab Emirates joined Saudi Arabia in offering a multibillion dollar economic assistance package to Egypt as it seeks to block the way for Iranian influence in post-Mubarak Egypt, analysts said.

With Egypt’s first elections since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak due in September, members of the interim government are touring the Persian Gulf to get support for their country’s ailing economy. The benefit of aiding Egypt is twofold for nations including Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Kuwait: They can assert claims that Iran is meddlesome while benefiting from opportunities in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation.