The interaction between salinity and phosphorus nutrition is particularly complex. Plant responses can vary according to many factors. The role of phosphorus application on the growth and mineral composition of rice under saline conditions was studied in a solution culture. In this experiment, the effect of inorganic phosphate (Pi) on the growth and ionic relations of five rice varieties, varying in salt tolerance and phosphorus use efficiency, grown in nutrient solution with and without 50 mol m^-3 NaCl was measured in a four week trial. The growth of all rice varieties was affected to different degrees due to external Pi in the presence or absence of salt. External Pi concentration up to 100 µM in the presence of NaCl caused stimulation of some growth parameters (shoot and root dry weight), above this concentration of Pi had an inhibitory effect. Increasing the supply of phosphorus (from 1 to 100 µMPi) to the saline medium tended to decrease the concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl^- in all varieties. Shoot concentrations of these saline ions much were lower in Sakha 101 and Sakha 103 varieties, than in Sakha 102 variety. Shoot P and Zn concentrations showed an increasing trend in the presence of external Pi and NaCl salt in the rooting medium although P/Zn ratio was lower in some varieties such as Sakha 101 and Giza 178. Significantly higher concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl^-, and lower concentration of Zn, were observed in the shoot of Sakha 102, Giza 176 and Giza 178 cultivars when exposed to salt stress in the presence of Pi in the external solution. Our results illustrate the complex relationship that exists between NaCl salinity and phosphorus. We conclude that a low supply of Pi (1-10 µM) to rooting medium is beneficial in improving growth while higher external Pi (more than 100 µM) is not beneficial.