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)
TT

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.



Iranians Fear Trump Comeback will Bring Them More Pain

A woman walks past the former US embassy compound in Tehran, which has skulls embedded in the wall - AFP
A woman walks past the former US embassy compound in Tehran, which has skulls embedded in the wall - AFP
TT

Iranians Fear Trump Comeback will Bring Them More Pain

A woman walks past the former US embassy compound in Tehran, which has skulls embedded in the wall - AFP
A woman walks past the former US embassy compound in Tehran, which has skulls embedded in the wall - AFP

When Donald Trump was last in the White House, he pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran, including punishing sanctions.

Now that he is set to begin another term as US president in January, anxiety is mounting in Tehran that more of the same will follow.

During Trump's first term, the United States also killed a revered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general in an airstrike on Baghdad airport in Iraq.
"It will be harmful for Iran," said 37-year-old Bashir Abbaspour, who works at a private company, reflecting widespread concern in Iran as news broke on Wednesday of Trump's victory.

His win came with the Middle East in turmoil after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by the unprecedented attack by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

Iranians best remember Trump for his campaign of intensified sanctions and Washington's 2018 withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear ambitions.

The deal's collapse took a toll on ordinary Iranians grappling with galloping inflation and a sharp depreciation of the rial against the US dollar.

"The sanctions will increase, and with that, the prices will too. It's not a good thing for Iran," Abbaspour said of Trump's comeback.

Washington officially broke off relations with Tehran a year after the Islamic revolution in 1979, and ties have been frozen ever since.

- 'No difference' -

On Wednesday, the conservative Jam-e Jam newspaper featured front-page pictures of the two main US candidates, the Republican Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, with two demons depicted looming behind them.

"The result of the US elections will make no difference for us," read the daily's main headline, citing Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Reza Aram, a 51-year-old insurance agent, agreed. He said Washington's attitude towards Iran "won't change", regardless of who is president there.

"Iran's relations (with the US) will be the same (with Trump) as with Democrats," he said.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office in Iran in July, has said he sought to shore up ties with West and revive the nuclear deal and end Iran's isolation.

But in recent weeks, Araghchi has said indirect nuclear talks with the United States have stopped because of regional tensions.

On October 1, Iran fired around 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

In April, in its first ever direct assault on Israeli territory, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in response to a deadly strike on its consulate in Damascus, which it blamed on Israel.

- 'Under pressure' -

During Trump's first term, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state, called him "unbalanced" and "foul-mouthed" as he addressed laughing crowds in Tehran.

When in 2020 Trump ordered the killing of Iran's esteemed IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, Tehran responded by attacking bases housing US troops in Iraq.

In the months leading up to Tuesday's vote in the United States, American officials charged that Iran was attempting to interfere in the elections, and Trump accused Tehran of posing "big threats" to his life.

On July 13, after a gunman wounded Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, US media reported that authorities had received intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot against him.

Iran roundly denied the accusations as "malicious".

Now, with Trump due to be back in office soon and with memories of his previous term still fresh, Iranians find themselves left with little but hope for better days ahead.

"I'm worried right now about the situation of the country and its economy," said 56-year-old Zahra Eghbali. "People are under pressure."

"Both sides should come to an agreement that is to the benefit of the people."