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Reports about Iran’s Bid for Naval Base in Sudan Sparks Controversy

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi meets with Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran last month (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi meets with Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran last month (Iranian Presidency)
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Reports about Iran’s Bid for Naval Base in Sudan Sparks Controversy

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi meets with Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran last month (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi meets with Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran last month (Iranian Presidency)

Media reports saying Iran has asked the Sudanese Army to set up a military base on the Red Sea coast, have sparked controversy in Sudanese circles.
On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal quoted a Sudanese intelligence official as saying that Sudan refused to let Iran set up a permanent naval base on its coast along the Red Sea in exchange for weapons.
However, local Sudanese media quoted a Sudanese army spokesperson as denying the Iranian offer.
The war in Sudan between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, began on 15 April 2023.
In January, media reports said Iran has supplied Sudan’s army with combat drones. The army has not denied the claims.
Later, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq visited Tehran and held talks with high ranking officials as part of the two countries’ efforts to restore their diplomatic relations.
According to a WSJ report, Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, who advises the Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Iran offered the Sudanese army explosive drones and a helicopter carrier in exchange for the base.
However, Al Sudani news website denied the reports. It quoted a Sudanese Army spokesperson as saying that Iran made no such offers to the army.
Also, sources close to the Sudanese army's intelligence service ruled out the presence of such an Iranian offer. The sources said the reports were probably a maneuver from Al-Burhan expressing his dissatisfaction with the regional and international neutral stances concerning developments in Sudan.
But despite the denials, the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran could have made the offer during the visit of the Sudanese foreign minister to Tehran last February.
They added that the current Sudanese leadership is aware that an Iranian maritime base in Sudan will surely lead to hostilities in the region.
The sources said al-Sadiq’s visit to Tehran aimed to send a warning message to regional countries backing the Rapid Forces, cautioning that they could shuffle the cards in light of the current tensions in the Red Sea.
“The Sudanese Army leadership knows that Iran cannot offer them unlimited military support in return of nothing,” the sources said. “Therefore, they are seeking to restore their relationship ...to produce a balance of power in the region, particularly in the absence of any country willing to support them at the military level,” the sources added.

 

 

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Republicans Mount a Third Attempt to Fund Government, Shutdown Imminent

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters ahead of a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters ahead of a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Republicans Mount a Third Attempt to Fund Government, Shutdown Imminent

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters ahead of a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters ahead of a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, December 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Republicans in the US Congress mounted a third attempt to avert a government shutdown on Friday with only hours to spare, after two previous plans were scuttled by President-elect Donald Trump and members of their own party.

Republican Representative Ralph Norman told reporters that party leaders planned to hold a vote on a third spending bill, though he did not provide details.

Others said they would not try to win over Democrats whose support likely will be needed to extend funding past midnight Friday (0500 GMT Saturday), when it is due to expire.

"We're not working with Democrats," Republican Representative Nancy Mace said.

Republicans were considering whether to simply extend the deadline for several weeks, according to a source familiar with their discussions. They also were weighing a broader package that would extend funding into March, provide disaster relief, and extend farm and food aid programs due to expire at the end of the year.

"We have a plan," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters. "We're expecting votes this morning." House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he has been in touch with Johnson, but has not seen the latest Republican plan.

It would be the third attempt for Johnson, who saw his first package -- a bipartisan deal negotiated with Democrats who control the Senate and the White House -- collapse on Wednesday after an online fusillade of criticism by Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire adviser.

A second package, which paired government funding and disaster aid with Trump's demand to lift the national debt limit, failed to pass the House on Thursday as Democrats and 38 Republicans voted against it.

Democrats accused Johnson of caving to pressure from an unelected billionaire, while Republican opponents said they would not vote for a package that increased government spending and cleared the way for trillions of dollars in increased debt.

Trump, who takes office in one month, overnight ratcheted up his rhetoric, calling for a five-year suspension of the US debt ceiling even after the House rejected a two-year extension.

"Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform shortly after 1 a.m.

If Congress does not act, funding for everything from law enforcement to national parks will be disrupted and millions of federal workers will go unpaid. The Transportation Security Administration has warned that travelers during the busy Christmas season could face long lines at airports.

The federal government last shut down for 35 days during Trump's first White House term over a dispute about border security. Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a US government default would send credit shocks around the world. The limit has been suspended under an agreement that technically expires on Jan. 1, though lawmakers likely would not have had to tackle the issue before the spring.