Sudan, Iran Exchange Ambassadors after 8-Year Rupture

Al-Burhan received the credentials of the Iranian ambassador (Sovereignty Council website)
Al-Burhan received the credentials of the Iranian ambassador (Sovereignty Council website)
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Sudan, Iran Exchange Ambassadors after 8-Year Rupture

Al-Burhan received the credentials of the Iranian ambassador (Sovereignty Council website)
Al-Burhan received the credentials of the Iranian ambassador (Sovereignty Council website)

The head of the Sovereignty Council, Commander of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, received, on Sunday, the credentials of Hassan Shah, the new Iranian Ambassador in Sudan, after more than 8 years of complete estrangement between the two countries.
In press statements, the Undersecretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Al-Amin, pointed to the “beginning of a new phase of bilateral relations,” and stressed strong ties between Sudan and Iran.
He added: “The President of the Sovereignty Council welcomed the new ambassador of Iran.”
In turn, the Iranian ambassador said that submitting his credentials “comes within the framework of the common consensus between the two countries regarding the exchange of ambassadors and the promotion of bilateral relations.” He added that he would do his “utmost to strengthen cooperation relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sudan.”
He also noted that his country “supports national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Sudan.”
In October, Sudan announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Iran following meetings between officials in the two countries, which lasted for months.
The new rapprochement began during talks between their foreign ministers in Azerbaijan, in July 2023, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement.
In June 2016, the government of deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced that it was severing its relations with Iran and expelling its ambassador from Khartoum.



Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

Israel said its air defenses intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen on Sunday and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had fired several missiles at the Israeli Red Sea city of Eilat.
The attack prolonged an escalation of violence between Israel and the Houthis that began on Friday when the Yemeni group launched a drone that hit the center of Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others.
Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near Yemen's Hodeidah port in response on Saturday, hitting what Israel said were Houthi military targets. Six people were killed and 80 others injured in the attack, medical sources in Yemen told Reuters on Sunday, saying that they were all civilians.
Images from the scene showed a fiery blaze and dense smoke rising from the site of the strike.
The Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defense system had shot down the projectile launched from Yemen on Sunday before it crossed into Israeli territory.
Before the interception, air raid sirens had sounded in Eilat, sending residents running for shelter.
The exchanges are part of a spillover from the more than nine-month-old Gaza war that has drawn in regional and world powers.
Iran-aligned groups including the Houthis have fired rockets and missiles at Israel saying they are doing so in support of Palestinians and the group Hamas that controls Gaza. The United States and its allies back Israel and provide weapons to it.
The war began on Oct. 7 after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli authorities. Israel has since bombed and invaded Gaza killing nearly 39,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave.
The Houthis, who control much of the north of Yemen and other large population centers have previously claimed targeting Eilat and other attacks directed at Israel, saying they are acting in retaliation for Israel's war on Gaza.
The group has also attacked Red Sea shipping routes for months.
Hamas' allies include Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi paramilitaries.