EXCLUSIVE: US waives rights conditions for $320 million in military aid to Egypt, letter shows

CAIRO/WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The US State Department has waived human rights conditions for more than $300 million of military aid to Egypt in light of Cairo's "helpful role" since the launch of the US war with Iran, according to a letter to US lawmakers obtained by Reuters.

Egypt started to get significant US support after signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, and has received about $1.3 billion a year in US military aid since the late 1980s.

A portion of that aid is subject to human rights and democracy-related conditions which can be waived on national-security grounds. The withholding of funds, including under former US President Joe Biden, has caused friction between Cairo and Washington in the past.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio "has made a determination to waive ⁠the certification requirement with respect to $320 million in FY 2025 Foreign Military Financing for Egypt," said a letter addressed to various congressional committees dated September 21.

That portion of military aid was deemed "necessary for counterterrorism, border security, or nonproliferation programs or is otherwise important to the national security interest of the United States," according to an accompanying memo justifying the decision.

"Exercising this waiver authority is essential for the US-Egypt relationship and US national security priorities, particularly in light of Egypt's helpful role following Operation Epic Fury," said the memo, which was dated September 4 and bore Rubio's signature.

Operation Epic Fury is the name used by the US military for the campaign on Iran launched alongside Israel in late February. The State Department memo -- which two sources in Washington familiar with the letter confirmed was authentic -- did not elaborate on what it called Egypt's "helpful role".

WAR PUTS STRAIN ON EGYPT'S ECONOMY

The State Department's ⁠annual determination on Egypt's military aid typically deals with funds appropriated the previous fiscal year, which ends on September 30.

The US State Department and Egypt's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

The spillover from the Iran war has imposed a high cost on US security partners, including Egypt, which has seen its economy tested by surging fuel prices and other disruptions.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in cash assistance, as well as tanks, helicopters, missiles and fighter aircraft were held back after Egypt's army ousted the ⁠country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Mursi, amid mass protests in 2013.

Under Biden, the US withheld portions of the annual military allocation multiple times over Egypt's human-rights record.

In 2024, following the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel and the resulting war in Gaza, the Biden administration overrode the human rights conditions and granted the full $1.3 billion allocation to ⁠Egypt for the first time in his administration.

Egypt has played a central role in ceasefire negotiations over conflicts in Gaza, including a truce deal agreed in October 2025, but has been less prominent in mediation over the Iran war.

Rights groups have long accused Egypt of widespread human rights abuses ⁠under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, including torture and enforced disappearances.

This week Egyptian police arrested six journalists from a fact-checking and investigative media outlet, accusing them of spreading misinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which the publication denied.

Egyptian authorities say they have taken steps to address rights. Sisi says stability is paramount and the government is promoting rights by trying to provide for basic needs.

Editing by Aidan Lewis

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Alexander Dziadosz

Thomson Reuters

Alexander Dziadosz is the Reuters Bureau Chief for Egypt, Sudan and North Africa. With more than 20 years in journalism, he has worked across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, covering the Arab Spring uprisings, South Sudan's secession and the rise of Islamic State. His recent reporting has focused on the offshore financial industry, conflict supply chains and the social impact of climate change.

Patricia Zengerle

Thomson Reuters

Patricia Zengerle has reported from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China. An award-winning Washington-based national security and foreign policy reporter who also has worked as an editor, Patricia has appeared on NPR, C-Span and other programs, spoken at the National Press Club and attended the Hoover Institution Media Roundtable. She is a recipient of the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence.

Humeyra Pamuk

Thomson Reuters

Humeyra Pamuk is a senior foreign policy correspondent based in Washington DC. She covers the U.S. State Department, regularly traveling with U.S. Secretary of State. During her 20 years with Reuters, she has had postings in London, Dubai, Cairo and Turkey, covering everything from the Arab Spring and Syria's civil war to numerous Turkish elections and the Kurdish insurgency in the southeast. In 2017, she won the Knight-Bagehot fellowship program at Columbia University's School of Journalism. She holds a BA in International Relations and an MA on European Union studies.