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Sudan, Iran Restore Diplomatic Relations

President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
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Sudan, Iran Restore Diplomatic Relations

President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)

Sudan's Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq arrived in Tehran, the first high-level diplomatic visit between the two nations since they severed ties in 2016.

Sadeq met with President Ebrahim Raisi and his counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The official Iranian news agency (IRNA) reported that Abdollahian praised the reopening of the Iranian and Sudanese embassies and restoration of diplomatic ties.

IRNA added that Abdollahian expressed Iran's readiness to share with Sudan its capabilities and experiences in the industrial fields, engineering services, modern technology, health, and treatment.

The agency quoted Sadeq as expressing his regret for the severing of relations and briefed the FM on the latest developments in Sudan amid its ongoing conflict.

He cited the Sudanese president's efforts to overcome and resolve challenges peacefully and with the support of neighboring countries and the United Nations.

Sadeq also condemned the "autocratic Zionist regime" for perpetuating crises in Sudan and reiterated his country's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, denouncing the "Israeli war crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016, ending long years of military, security, and economic cooperation.

Khartoum pre-empted the decision by closing the Hussainiyat halls and the Iranian Cultural Mission, accusing Iran of seeking to spread the Shiite sect in the country.

Recent reports have said the Sudanese army was suffering from a shortage of weapons as the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rages on, making it a significant motivation to reestablish relations with Iran.

Last week, the RSF claimed the downing of an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone in Omdurman, Khartoum. It said it was the third such aircraft shot down by its forces, claiming they were being used by the military.

In 2012, Sudan was accused of smuggling Iranian weapons to Hamas through the Sinai Desert, prompting an Israeli raid on the alleged smugglers in Sudanese territory. Israel bombed the Yarmouk Military Industries Complex.

Then Israeli Defense Minister Amos Gilad described Sudan as a "terrorist state" that was being used as a crossing point to transfer Iranian weapons to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements through Egypt.

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Arab World

STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
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STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)

Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Yemen began on Thursday handing over military positions to the government’s National Shield forces in the Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen.

Local sources in Hadhramaut confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the handover kicked off after meetings were held between the two sides.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the National Shield commanders met with STC leaderships to discuss future arrangements. The sourced did not elaborate, but they confirmed that Emirati armored vehicles, which had entered Balhaf port in Shabwah were seen departing on a UAE vessel, in line with a Yemeni government request.

The National Shield is overseen by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.

A Yemeni official described Thursday’s developments as “positive” step towards uniting ranks and legitimacy against a common enemy – the Houthi groups.

The official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of “partnership between components of the legitimacy and of dialogue to resolve any future differences.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Yemeni military sources revealed that some STC forces had refused to quit their positions, prompting the forces to dispatch an official to Hadhramaut’s Seiyun city to negotiate the situation.

Arab World

One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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One Dead as Israeli Forces Open Fire on West Bank Stone-Throwers

Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

The Israeli military said its forces killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank in the early hours on Thursday as they opened fire on people who were throwing stones at soldiers.

Two other people were hit on a main ‌road near the ‌village of Luban ‌al-Sharqiya ⁠in Nablus, ‌the military statement added. It described the people as militants and said the stone-throwing was part of an ambush.

Palestinian authorities in the West Bank said ⁠a 26-year-old man they named as ‌Khattab Al Sarhan was ‍killed and ‍another person wounded.

Israeli forces had ‍closed the main entrance to the village of Luban al-Sharqiya, in Nablus, and blocked several secondary roads on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported.

More ⁠than a thousand Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between October 2023 and October 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, the UN has said.

Over the same period, 57 Israelis were killed ‌in Palestinian attacks.

Arab World

UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Chief Condemns Israeli Law Blocking Electricity, Water for UNRWA Facilities

A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)
A girl stands in the courtyard of a building of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 31, 2025. (AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, a UN spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.

"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used ‌by UNRWA ‌is inviolable," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the ‌secretary-general, ⁠said while ‌adding that UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in providing assistance to Palestinian refugees.

In 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a law banning the agency from operating in ⁠the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency.

As a ‌result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, ‍which the UN considers territory occupied ‍by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part ‍of the country.

The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to ⁠be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended of dozens of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday such a move would have a severe impact on the access of essential services, including healthcare. They said one in ‌three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.