Just if others end up on this thread looking to activate remote mysql connections, here is what you have to do:

There is no need to edit the /etc/sysconfig/iptables file, you can directly execute the iptables command on the server and save iptables to make the rule permanent.

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3306 -j ACCEPT
service iptables save
If you have other firewalls like APF or CSF, you have to edit its configuration file to allow incoming connections on Mysql port.

Once done, you have to grant necessary privileges to the database user and the remote IP on the Mysql user using the Grant command. The following tutorial will guide you on how enable remote access to the mysql server/database.
madaboutlinux Reviewed by madaboutlinux on . How to enable remote connection to MySQL server I followed this : 1. Edit /etc/sysconfig/iptables file: 2. Add following line before COMMIT: 3. Restart Iptables Firewall: 4. Test remote connection: But when executing first command I got like this : Where is the commit line ? :( Rating: 5