Senior Iranian MP warns about possibility of civil war in Egypt

Egypt is on the verge of a civil war, a senior Iranian legislator warned, as tensions continued to escalate in the North African country between the supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Mursi. Chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi condemned the massacre of the Egyptian protesters by the country’s security forces, and said, “It is unfortunate that an important Islamic country such as Egypt has slipped into such a situation after its revolutionary movement and change of regime." The Iranian lawmaker expressed concern over the possibility of civil war between the interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as it can lead to chaos which "would not be tolerated by the world." He reiterated that the current crisis in Egypt is the outcome of interventions by the US and the Israeli regime. Boroujerdi urged Egyptian intellectuals, thinkers and scholars to use their capacities to manage the country and help it overcome the current crisis. In a relevant statement on Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned use of force and massacre of people in Egypt, and called on all involved parties to practice self-restraint and adopt peaceful approaches. "The Islamic Republic of Iran's Foreign Ministry follows the bitter and regrettable events in Egypt thoroughly and voices its deep concern about the grave consequences of such events, while it also condemns violent behaviors and killing of the people," the statement said. "The (Iranian) foreign ministry invites all involved groups to self-restraint, warns of the grave and dangerous consequences of the present trend, taking into account the current crises in the region, and underlines the necessity for the immediate cessation of this trend," it added. The Iranian foreign ministry warned that in case the present trend of events continues in Egypt, the Zionist enemy, extremist groups and the world arrogant powers' hirelings will take advantage of the occasion and place obstacles to the development and progress of Egypt by derailing the Egyptian people's revolution. Egyptian troops staged a crackdown on protesters that turned deadly Wednesday morning in efforts to clear two antigovernment sit-ins in Cairo, a development that observers worry could plunge the already divided country further into uncontrollable violence. Dozens of Egyptian protesters were reported killed in clashes after security forces moved in to forcefully disperse protesters loyal to ousted President Mursi at protest camps in Cairo early Wednesday. Egypt plunged into violence after the country’s army ousted President Mursi, a senior leader of Ikhwan al-Muslimun party, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the parliament on July 3. The military overthrow followed days of mass protests against Mursi. The army also declared chief justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, as interim president. Later in July, the Egyptian Prosecutor General ordered the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the supreme leader of the group, Mohammed Badie, on charges of inciting violence. Many people have been killed in violent clashes involving supporters and opponents of Mursi and security forces in the last few weeks, but many worry that today's clashes may spark a regrettable surge in bloodshed.