Iranian Weapons in Army's Hands... Will it Reshape the Sudanese Scene?

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan during a visit to his forces in the east of the country. (SUNA)

The announcement that the Sudanese army had acquired Iranian Mohajer-6 drones and that Sudan had restored its relations with the Tehran government, coincided with severe tension in Iranian-US relations, which reached its peak, on Friday night.
The US and UK launched raids on Iranian targets in both Syria and Iraq on Friday, in parallel with missile attacks and the interception of ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis, raising the question of whether these developments will redraw the Sudanese scene.
In addition to the strained relations between Washington and Tehran, the region is witnessing escalating tensions, including the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, the Houthi’s targeting of tankers in the Red Sea, and the American bombing of sites belonging to the pro-Iranian group, in addition to the recent strikes against Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria.
Dr. Bakri Al-Jak Al-Madani, professor of public policy and administration at Long Island University in New York, believes that Islamists in Sudan, in their drive to consolidate their relations with Iran and their quest to obtain Iranian weapons, do not only aim to improve the army’s operational position on the ground, but rather to achieve a strategic purpose that is to transform the conflict in Sudan into a regional war.
Professor of Political Science at Al-Neelain University, Professor Hassan Al-Saouri, said that America was angry at the restoration of Sudanese-Iranian relations, but he stressed that Sudan has the right to seek its interests wherever they may be.
“Sudan is threatened by 7 or 8 countries, and America is still dealing with it in its old approach by making bright promises, which drives it to search for a party that will support it and fulfill these promises,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The academic called on the US to change the way it deals with Sudan, as the African country would not let its interests be exposed to danger.
For his part, professor of political science at Omdurman Islamic University, Dr. Bashir Al-Sharif, stressed that ties between the Muslim Brotherhood movement and Iran were historical, noting that the ruling Islamists in Sudan benefited from that relationship in the areas of military training and supply.