Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi told reporters in Brussels that Egypt would not allow attacks on foreign embassies, but he stopped short of condemning the invasion of embassy grounds two days earlier.

Both Mr. Morsi and U.S. President Barack Obama are struggling to contain escalating diplomatic tensions in the face of rising public outrage at home.

The comments by Mr. Morsi, who was in Brussels as part of a two-day European tour to attract much-needed investment to Egypt , came a day after U.S. President Barack Obama appeared to diminish America 's relationship with Egypt . He told a Spanish-language news channel that he doesn't consider Egypt "an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy."

Egypt 's ousted government was a strong supporting pillar for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East since the 1980s, when it began receiving $1.3 billion a year in U.S. military aid.

The embassy attacks are the latest test for how America can adapt its foreign policy to the new, more populist political whims left by the so-called "Arab Spring" of pro-democracy revolutions.

Protesters across the Muslim world were infuriated by an American-made film trailer that appears to portray the Prophet Mohamed as a lascivious fraud. Attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi , Libya , left four American diplomats dead, including a U.S. ambassador.

Though it was unclear Thursday whether the embassy spat will be a lasting stain on the U.S.-Egypt relationship, the need to satisfy domestic audiences has already elevated the conflict.

In a phone call between Presidents Morsi and Obama Thursday, Mr. Obama "underscored the importance of Egypt following through on its commitment to cooperate with the United States in securing U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel," according to the U.S. embassy in Cairo.

Mr. Morsi pledged to "honor its obligation to ensure the safety of American personnel." Though Mr. Morsi reportedly enjoys sky-high approval ratings after less than three months in office, he still faces considerable pressure to prove to the international community that he can act as a stabilizing force in his own volatile backyard.

Both presidents are navigating treacherous territory. For Mr. Morsi, the confrontations in front of the U.S. embassy are an opportunity to demonstrate a robust, independent foreign policy to an Egyptian public that craves a departure from Egypt's more Western-oriented past policy.

For Mr. Obama, the embassy attacks, which spread Thursday morning to a third U.S. mission in Sana'a, Yemen , have grown into a potentially damaging election issue less than two months before the presidential vote.

Faced with a barrage of criticism from supporters of Republican Presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama is striving not to appear weak.

The Egypt-U.S. relationship has survived worse. America continued distributing military aid to the North African country even after Egyptian prosecutors charged seven Americans, including the son of a cabinet secretary, with violating the country's highly restrictive law on non-governmental organizations early this year.

But unlike the NGO dispute, both sides now appear to understand the political pressures facing the other, despite the mild uptick in diplomatic rancor.

"We see Obama's remarks within the context of the U.S. presidential elections," said Gehad Al Haddad, an adviser to Mr. Morsi's former political party, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Freedom and Justice Party. "We hope that this remark is limited to its contextual time and events in order for us to start rebuilding this relationship again."

Yet in deference to angry Islamists at home, the Brotherhood on Wednesday called for "peaceful vigils" at major mosques across the country following Friday prayers. It was unclear Thursday whether the Brotherhood would deliberately organize its legions of supporters into a massive protest.

Mr. Morsi has traveled the world over the past two months soliciting investments and aid from potential donor nations and international financial institutions. His visit to Brussels is part of a two-day European tour meant to drum up much-needed interest from potential investors.

Some of the heavy diplomatic lifting appears to be left to Khairat Al Shater, the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy leader and chief financier. In an opinion piece distributed to English-language newspapers, Mr. Shater said the breach of the U.S. embassy in Cairo was illegal and should be investigated.

Meanwhile, the violent standoff between police and protesters continued Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in Egypt , where police fired tear gas and used truncheons to beat back hundreds of mostly youthful demonstrators.

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