What is Sudan's Purpose of Diplomatic Approach with Iran?

Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Sadiq Ali meets in Uganda with Iran's First VP Mohamed Mokhber (SUNA)
Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Sadiq Ali meets in Uganda with Iran's First VP Mohamed Mokhber (SUNA)
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What is Sudan's Purpose of Diplomatic Approach with Iran?

Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Sadiq Ali meets in Uganda with Iran's First VP Mohamed Mokhber (SUNA)
Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Sadiq Ali meets in Uganda with Iran's First VP Mohamed Mokhber (SUNA)

Sudanese and Iranian officials have agreed to expedite their steps to resume relations and restore diplomatic representation.

The recent rapprochement raised questions about the reasons for that path amid the war that has been raging in the country for nine months, claiming the lives of thousands and displacing millions.

On Saturday, Sudan's Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq met in Uganda with the Iranian First Vice President, Mohamed Mokhber, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala.

A Sudanese statement stated that the officials discussed restoring bilateral relations and accelerating steps to reopen embassies.

Sudan severed its relationship with Iran in 2016, but last October, its foreign ministry announced the resumption of diplomatic relations. No additional steps have been taken since then.

Observers questioned the purpose of the recent Sudanese-Iranian announcement about accelerating efforts to resume bilateral relations.

A former senior official in the Sudanese Islamic Movement believed that the Islamists were working to exploit the relationship with Iran, aiming to weaponize the army.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat, on condition of anonymity, that the army needs to be armed in light of the support Rapid Support Forces is receiving.

The source added that Iran was fully prepared to restore relations with Sudan after the fall of President Omar Al-Bashir's regime.

However, the transitional civil government headed by the Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok did not want to take the step.

Burhan was conservative to the point of categorically rejecting any step toward restoring relations between the two countries, especially since he began to establish ties with Israel, said the source.

Political analyst Abu Dhar Ali al-Amin said Burhan is facing pressure from the US and the UK in favor of the Forces of Freedom and Change and Rapid Support Forces.

Amin indicated that the rapprochement towards Iran aims to create a balance through Iran, China, and Russia and arm the military.

He believes Sudan is trying to address the issue, which requires effort, time, and persuasive reasons from the Iranians, noting that severing the relations surprised Tehran.

Sudan attributed its severing of relations with Iran in 2016 to its regional interventions on sectarian grounds and its attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

The analyst agreed with the Islamist leader that weapons are a direct motive for restoring relations with Iran, noting that "international developments" regarding dealing and resuming regional relations may have formed an incentive for the Sudanese army commander to look in a similar direction.

According to Amin, Iran will provide the Sudanese army with drones to continue its battles against the Rapid Support Forces.



What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
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What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)

Flash floods in Texas killed at least 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing, including girls attending a summer camp. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

Massive rain hit at just the wrong time, in a flood-prone place

The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep.

The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours.

After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.

Death toll is expected to rise and the number of missing is uncertain

In Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday morning. Fatalities in nearby counties brought the total number of deaths to 94 as of Monday afternoon.

Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief.

Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday had said that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said during a Monday news conference he couldn't give an estimate of the number of people still missing, only saying “it is a lot.”

Officials face scrutiny over flash flood warnings

Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “nobody saw this coming.” Officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.

And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change. Though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur, meteorologists say that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and allow severe storms to dump even more rain.

Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.

Rice said Monday that he did not immediately know if there had been any communication between law enforcement and the summer camps between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday. But Rice said various factors, including spotty cell service in some of the more isolated areas of Kerr County and cell towers that might have gone out of service during the weather, could have hindered communication.

Rice said officials want to finish the search and rescue and then review possible issues with cell towers, radios and emergency alerts.

Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.

Kerr county officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.

Monumental clearing and rebuilding effort

The flash floods have erased campgrounds and torn homes from their foundations.

"It’s going to be a long time before we’re ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it," Kelly said Saturday after surveying the destruction from a helicopter.

Other massive flooding events have driven residents and business owners to give up, including in areas struck last year by Hurricane Helene.

President Donald Trump said he would likely visit the flood zone on Friday.

AP photographers have captured the scale of the destruction, and one of Texas' largest rescue and recovery efforts.