Leaked U.S. Base Plans: Has el-Sisi Regretted Handing Tiran and Sanafir to Riyadh?

Leaked Egyptian documents concerning the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir have revealed significant rifts between Cairo and both Washington and Riyadh.

According to a report by Mada Masr, Saudi Arabia proposed the establishment of a U.S. military base on the islands—an offer reportedly aimed at facilitating operations against the Houthis in Yemen.

Egypt, which formally ceded the islands to Saudi Arabia several years ago, has reportedly rejected the proposal, amid indications that it has suspended the full transfer of control to Riyadh.

The Story of the American Base

Talk of the proposed base first emerged as early as March 2017, ahead of the decision by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government to hand over the islands to Saudi Arabia.

At the time, The Times of Israel reported that leaked plans suggested Riyadh would allow Washington to establish a military base on Tiran and Sanafir, as part of efforts to tighten pressure on Iran and Russia.

Later, as the U.S. launched its military campaign against the Houthis in a bid to secure international shipping routes, the idea of a U.S. base on the islands resurfaced—this time framed as part of the solution to the wider conflict.

Houthi attacks in the Arabian and Red Seas—framed as support for Gaza—have severely disrupted maritime traffic. 

According to Bloomberg, ship crossings through the Red Sea have dropped by 70%, while container shipping has plunged by 90%, prompting Washington to act.

The story was first reported by Mada Masr on April 30, 2025, citing Egyptian sources who said Saudi Arabia had offered to allow the United States to establish a military base on the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, located at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba.

The proposal is said to have sparked divisions within Egypt’s decision-making circles, with some officials speaking to Mada Masr expressing strong opposition to any U.S. military presence on the islands.

Others, however, suggested that Egypt may not be in a position to flatly reject the Saudi request, and could ultimately be forced to seek concessions of its own in exchange.

The outlet also quoted European, Egyptian, and regional officials as saying that the United States is seeking, through talks with regional allies, a fundamental overhaul of the Red Sea security architecture, one that would place Washington at the forefront of overseeing the strategic waterway.

According to the sources cited by Mada Masr, Egypt is “still resisting mounting pressure from the United States and its Gulf allies to comply with these demands,” which some fear could further erode its standing in the region.

One of the aims of the proposed base, a senior Egyptian official told the outlet, would be for the U.S. military to secure the Suez Canal and prevent the passage of any “suspicious” vessels potentially carrying weapons or military equipment to Gaza or Lebanon, particularly those originating from Iran.

Meanwhile, Egyptian political sources speaking to Al-Estiklal described the proposal as an affront to the Egyptian military and likened it to a form of de facto guardianship over the country.

A Price for Rejection

The move is also thought to be a response to Cairo’s refusal to grant former U.S. President Donald Trump's request for the free passage of American military and civilian vessels through the Suez Canal.

On April 26, 2025, Trump formally requested his account on the social media platform Truth Social, instructing his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to implement it “immediately.”

“Trump wants more military and financial involvement from Egypt” in the fight in Yemen, a European diplomat in the region tells Mada Masr.

According to the diplomat, any logistical support Egypt might offer for U.S. strikes in Yemen is seen in Washington as insufficient.

This was corroborated by two Egyptian sources who told the outlet that the United States had formally requested both military and financial cooperation from Cairo in the Red Sea.

Egypt, however, declined to participate militarily, citing a lack of the necessary resources to offer material support in the fight against the Houthis.

When Egypt refused to provide financial backing for the mission in March 2025, the U.S. State Department notified the Egyptian embassy in Washington that it would reassess its requests from Cairo and seek a different form of compensation.

According to the source, the prevailing understanding in Cairo is that Trump’s statement regarding free passage for American ships through the Suez Canal was a direct consequence of Egypt’s refusal to cooperate militarily and financially against the Houthis.

However, the request has put Egypt in a difficult position, the source explained, as complying could set a precedent for similar demands from other countries, potentially undermining one of Egypt’s most vital sources of national income—the revenues from the canal.

Following the publication of Mada Masr's report on the proposed U.S. military base, the semi-official news network Saudi Post countered the claims, citing a Saudi source who denied them.

The Washington-based outlet stated, “The news of U.S. military bases being established on Tiran and Sanafir is entirely false and baseless.”

The source emphasized that "the islands are under full Saudi sovereignty and are protected by security forces following their transfer from Egypt, with all international military personnel having been withdrawn from the area."

He added that plans are underway to develop the islands into tourist destinations, with no intention to use them for any other purpose.

Following the publication of Mada Masr's report, posts began to appear on X from pro-government online groups, claiming that the outlet was "Brotherhood-affiliated" (referring to the Muslim Brotherhood), operated from abroad, and that its report had been published at the behest of the United States.

This is despite the fact that the director and founder of the site, Christian journalist Lina Attalah, is a recipient of the French Order of Arts and Letters, has close ties with Western diplomats in Cairo, and previously worked for al-Ahram Weekly and Egypt Independent.

The editorial stance of Mada Masr is described as liberal, with a focus on critiquing the authorities from a human rights and civil liberties perspective. 

The site has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood; on the contrary, it has published numerous articles critical of the group at various times.

The liberal journalist Hossam Bahgat also worked at the site, with David Kirkpatrick, former Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times, describing him in his book ‘Into the Hands of the Soldiers: Freedom and Chaos in Egypt and the Middle East’ as “the most important figure for Western ambassadors in understanding Egyptian reality.”

In the midst of the media back-and-forth, Saudi broadcaster Jihad Alobaid denied any intention to establish a U.S. military base on Tiran and Sanafir.

"We can place bases, reactors, or even a soapbox stadium—this is our land, and we are free to do as we please without consulting anyone," Alobaid added.

El-Sisi's Stance

Before Mada Masr revealed this information—likely leaked from Egyptian intelligence sources, according to political sources speaking to Al-Estiklal—The Wall Street Journal reported that the head of the regime el-Sisi had expressed reservations about Trump’s request regarding American vessels and participation in supporting airstrikes against the Houthis.

Sources cited by The Wall Street Journal revealed that during a phone call in April 2025, Trump told el-Sisi that the United States was looking to secure his support in the operation against the Houthi group in Yemen, offering military assistance, intelligence sharing, or funding in exchange.

This was seen as "a price to improve traffic flow through the Suez Canal," a notion previously highlighted in an Al-Estiklal report on Trump’s alleged attempt to extort Egypt, seeking compensation for his country's expenses in the Yemen war.

However, el-Sisi disagreed, telling the U.S. president during their call that a ceasefire in Gaza would be a more effective means of addressing the Houthi threat and resolving the Red Sea crisis, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The American newspaper reports that Trump is, both secretly and publicly, seeking to "press Egypt into compensating the United States for its efforts in safeguarding shipping lanes heading towards the Suez Canal, placing the struggling country in a politically difficult position."

James Hewitt, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, claimed that "President Trump's operation to restore freedom of navigation through the Red Sea directly benefits American workers and consumers, but it also benefits partner nations globally, including Egypt."

"The burden for a broadly beneficial military operation should be shared broadly, and free transit for US ships through the Suez Canal is one way to share that burden," he added.

Sources from The Wall Street Journal note that Trump’s demand for free passage of American vessels through the Suez Canal is not the first time such a request has been made.

Trump had previously raised the idea in a phone call with el-Sisi in April 2025.

Egyptian sources speaking to Al-Estiklal believe that Cairo’s reluctance to grant Trump’s request for free passage of American vessels through the Suez Canal, followed by its refusal to participate militarily and financially in the Yemen campaign, led to the revelation of Washington’s intentions to establish a base on Tiran and Sanafir.

Egyptian political sources view the Mada Masr report on the Saudi offer regarding the military base as a clear indication of Egyptian-Saudi differences over the islands.

They also point to deeper Egyptian-American disagreements over the Yemen war and the price Egypt is expected to pay—namely, allowing U.S. military and commercial vessels to pass through the Suez Canal free of charge.

The idea of a U.S. base on Tiran and Sanafir is seen as a form of "imposing colonial-style protection" over the Egyptian canal.

Sources told Al-Estiklal that the publication of the report by an Egyptian site about Saudi approval for the base "may well be a leak from Egyptian intelligence sources," a tactic the authorities have previously used in similar instances.

It was suggested that the publication of the story by an independent or semi-oppositional outlet like Mada Masr was "intentional and deliberate."

Egyptian intelligence, the sources explained, has a history of leaking certain stories to opposition newspapers rather than government-affiliated ones, to avoid direct attribution.

The sources argued that the leak of such a story—whose accuracy remains unverified—could be "a message from Egypt to Riyadh and Washington," signaling Cairo’s refusal to allow the construction of a U.S. military base on its borders, a base which "Israel"  would almost certainly use, thus threatening Egypt’s national security.

However, the sources did not rule out the possibility that the report on the U.S. base was "false," suggesting that Egypt’s purpose in circulating it might be to justify its failure to fully transfer sovereignty over the islands to Saudi Arabia, citing national security concerns.

Egyptian sources also speculated to Al-Estiklal that the leak could have been intended to signal a lack of trust in Saudi Arabia’s plans for Tiran and Sanafir, offering a rationale for Egypt’s refusal to finalize the transfer of the islands in practice.

Egyptian broadcaster Hafez al-Mirazi hinted that Egyptian officials may have leaked the information regarding the U.S. base on Tiran and Sanafir, suggesting there were underlying motives behind it.

He expressed doubt about the accuracy of the information, emphasizing that "the Tiran Strait does not control all shipping traffic in the Red Sea leading to the Suez Canal; it pertains only to the maritime routes of Israel and Jordan from the Gulf of Aqaba."

It is Saudi Arabia, not Egypt, that has officially and effectively controlled the islands since 2023, after resolving the issue with “ Israel,” which stipulated that the party controlling the strait must have a peace treaty with it, as long as it replaces Cairo in sovereignty over the islands."

He questioned the timing of the leaks, particularly with the emergence of a recording of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, in which he rejects fighting "Israel" and appears resigned to the reality of "Israel’s" encroachment in the region—this stands in stark contrast to his previously outspoken positions against "Israel."

Observers draw a connection between Trump’s comments on the Suez Canal, the rumors suggesting Riyadh may allow Washington to establish military bases on Tiran and Sanafir, and the upcoming visit of the U.S. president to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar (expected to begin on May 13), which could lead to a flurry of arrangements across the Middle East.

Former al-Ahram editor-in-chief Abdel Nasser Salama posted on Facebook, "There are reports that Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia includes discussions on establishing a U.S. military base on Tiran and Sanafir," hinting at Egyptian resistance and Washington’s pressure on Cairo.

The Implications of Affirmation and Denial

In a curious twist, coinciding with Mada Masr's report on the Egyptian leak, the site also published a proposal from 57 Egyptian lawyers to file a lawsuit to halt head of the regime el-Sisi’s decision to transfer Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia, as if Cairo is searching for a legal justification to reverse its decision.

The legal challenge was filed against the maritime border agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, signed in August 2016, and the related decree published in the official gazette, which stipulates the cession of Tiran and Sanafir to the kingdom, as noted by lawyer Ali Ayoub on May 3, 2025.

The border agreement for transferring sovereignty over the islands required Israeli approval due to the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty (Camp David), which stipulated that Tiran and Sanafir be demilitarized zones, monitored by a multinational force led by the United States.

It has been suggested that the current strain in relations between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian head of the regime el-Sisi stems from Cairo’s refusal to fully transfer sovereignty over the islands, despite el-Sisi’s formal approval of their handover.

On December 21, 2022, both Axios (U.S.) and Walla ("Israel") reported that Egypt had stalled and delayed the implementation of the agreement transferring ownership of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.

Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, author of the reports, noted that the peacekeeping force had not vacated the islands by the end of December 2022, as stipulated in the agreement and its annexes.

It was reported that el-Sisi is pressuring both Saudi Arabia and the United States "to extract further concessions" in exchange for the final handover of the islands, citing Egypt’s ongoing economic crisis.

American and Israeli sources revealed that the delay in el-Sisi’s transfer of the sold islands is driven by his desire to secure aid to address the country’s economic woes.

The delay in the final transfer of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia is also attributed to el-Sisi’s protests over the Biden administration’s decision to suspend part of Egypt's military aid on the grounds of human rights violations.

The newspaper added that the incomplete handover of the islands is further complicated by disagreements between Riyadh and "Tel Aviv" over international monitoring of the two islands.

Following the publication of this report, Saudi Arabia officially announced on September 15, 2023, the incorporation of Tiran and Sanafir into its political borders, a move that appeared to be a direct response to Egypt.

The Saudi General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information released a new official map of the kingdom’s international land and maritime borders, including Tiran and Sanafir, as reported by the country’s state news agency on September 11, 2023.

The decision by Saudi Arabia to officially incorporate Tiran and Sanafir into its territorial map, more than six years after el-Sisi ratified the maritime border agreement and transferred sovereignty of the islands to the kingdom, has been met with surprise.

In June 2017, the Egyptian parliament, followed by the Supreme Constitutional Court in 2018, approved the agreement to cede the islands to Saudi Arabia, a move that was passed amid widespread public protests.