US Congress Supports Sudanese in their Democratic Aspirations

US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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US Congress Supports Sudanese in their Democratic Aspirations

US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The US House passed a resolution condemning last October’s military coup in Sudan and calling for restoring the country’s constitutional leaders.

The bill was unanimously approved in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Democratic Representative Kathy Manning said the Sudanese junta has aligned itself with the Kremlin and given Russian President Vladimir Putin free access to the drilling sector when Russia is seeking to wage its brutal war in Ukraine.

Manning said Congress needs to send a unified message to the Military Council by condemning the October 25 coup and reaffirming the support of the Sudanese people.

She pointed out that this bill, which calls for holding the leaders of the Military Council to account, is a step in the right direction.

Republican Representative Young Kim said military leaders favored power over the people's will, noting that Congress would send an important and united message to condemn the coup.

Kim waved the binding sanctions bill she had put in the House of Representatives, calling on the Biden administration to use all its sanctions powers to demand accountability.

She also called for a review of any aid to Sudan under the leadership of the Military Council.

In detail, the bill stands with the people of Sudan in their democratic aspirations and calls for Sudan’s “military junta to immediately release all civilian government officials, civil society members, and other individuals detained in connection with the coup.”

It also calls for ensuring that “security forces respect the right to peaceful protest and hold those who used excessive force and committed other abuses accountable in a transparent, credible process.”

It urges the Military Council to cease all attempts to change the civilian composition of the cabinet, Sovereign Council, and other government bodies.

The text of the resolution calls on the US Secretary of State to “immediately identify coup leaders, their accomplices, and enablers for consideration for targeted sanctions” and coordinate with the “Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and other Federal Government agencies to pause all non-humanitarian bilateral assistance to Sudan until the restoration of the transitional constitutional order.”

It also urges the US allies and the Troika countries to join them in imposing "targeted sanctions on the junta and other accomplices to the coup, monitor, discourage, and deter any effort by external parties to support the junta, and urge junta leaders to return to the rule of law as set forth by the transitional constitution,” in addition to suspending Sudan’s participation in all regional multilateral organizations until Sudan is returned to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution.

Meanwhile, the Senate approved the US President's nominee for the ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, paving the way for his official takeover of the position in the coming days, making him the first US envoy to Khartoum since 1996.

Godfrey, who speaks fluent Arabic, served as the Acting Coordinator of Counterterrorism and Acting Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS in the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism. He also worked as a political advisor at the US Embassy in Riyadh and as a political official at the US Embassy in Damascus.



Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt has welcomed Iran’s decision to rename a Tehran street once dedicated to Khalid al-Islamabouli - the Egyptian army officer who assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - describing the move as a significant step toward resetting bilateral relations.

In the first official Egyptian response to the development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Tamim Khallaf told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Renaming the street is a positive step in Egyptian-Iranian relations. It helps put matters back on the right track.”

The street, long a source of tension between Cairo and Tehran, has now been renamed after Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, following a decision by the Tehran City Council.

Iranian media reported that a formal ceremony was held to unveil the new name, attended by officials, intellectuals, and civil society figures. The change was part of a wider initiative that saw 11 streets in the capital renamed last month.

Dr. Hoda Raouf, a Cairo-based expert on Iranian affairs, said the move reflects “a meaningful shift and a clear sign of Iran’s serious intent to restore relations with Egypt.”

She noted that Egyptian-Iranian ties have two key dimensions: regional security - particularly Egypt’s opposition to Iranian interference in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen - and the bilateral relationship, which has long been strained over symbolic gestures such as honoring Sadat’s assassin.

Political philosopher and Iran specialist Dr. Mohamed Khairy echoed that assessment, calling the street name change “a significant development.”

He emphasized that the decision was passed by majority vote and attended by influential figures from Iran’s political establishment, which he said reflects a genuine desire within Iran to repair ties with Cairo.

The gesture comes amid signs of warming relations between the two nations. Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi recently visited Cairo, where he met President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and senior officials.

His visit included a symbolic walk through the historic Khan el-Khalili bazaar, prayers at the Al-Hussein Mosque, and dinner at the famed Naguib Mahfouz restaurant.

Sisi also held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the recent Israeli escalation against Iran, in which he affirmed Egypt’s rejection of Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.