Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq Ali (left) arrives in Tehran on his first visit after the return of relations between Iran and Sudan (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq Ali met in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Amir Abdullahian, in the first visit by a Sudanese foreign minister since the severing of relations between the two countries in 2016.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani confirmed that the visit comes within the framework of coordination for the return of normal relations and the resumption of diplomatic activities between the two countries, after the announcement of the return of diplomatic relations last October.

In January 2016, during the rule of former President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan severed its diplomatic relations with Iran, in response to protesters storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, eastern Iran at the time, after the execution of the death sentence against the Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. With a group of other convicts on charges of terrorism.

The Sudanese Foreign Minister arrives in Tehran on his first visit after the restoration of relations between Iran and Sudan (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

It is noteworthy that the government of former President Omar al-Bashir had good relations with Iran for many years.

After the resumption of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran through Chinese mediation, Khartoum was encouraged to resume its relationship with Tehran, after a rupture that lasted for 7 years.

Return of military cooperation

Observers indicate that the recent change in Sudanese foreign policy trends may be an effort by the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to obtain support in the face of the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

Recently, Bloomberg quoted high-ranking Western officials in a report that Iran had provided the Sudanese army with Iranian “Muhajir 6” drones, which further escalated the conflict and war in Sudan.

Iran's interference in Sudanese affairs highlights the importance of the Red Sea coast, which extends over an estimated distance of about 640 kilometers, as countries such as China, Russia, and Turkey compete to reach it, according to a Bloomberg report.

Source: Al Jazeera