Sudan cut diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 after an attack on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran.
Sudan’s de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, welcomed an Iranian ambassador on Sunday and dispatched his own envoy to Tehran, marking a renewed diplomatic engagement after an eight-year hiatus, the government reported.
In October, Sudan and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations as the army-aligned government sought allies during its conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Sudanese government, backing the army in its 15-month struggle against the RSF, announced that Burhan received Tehran’s new ambassador, Hassan Shah Hosseini, in Port Sudan.
Port Sudan has become Sudan’s de facto government seat since the fighting erupted in Khartoum.
Hussein al-Amin, the foreign ministry undersecretary, called the appointment of Sudan’s new ambassador to Iran, Abdelaziz Hassan Saleh, by Burhan “the beginning of a new phase in the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
Sudan had cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 as a show of support for Saudi Arabia, following an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran after the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric by Saudi authorities.
At that time, several Saudi allies also severed relations with Iran.
In March 2023, however, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore their diplomatic ties, facilitated by China.
Since then, Iran has been working to either strengthen or re-establish its relationships with neighboring Arab nations.
During Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which started in April 2023, various foreign powers have supported different factions. In December, Sudan expelled UAE diplomats, accusing the Gulf country of providing weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The UAE has rejected claims of taking sides in the conflict.
Egypt and Turkey have supported the Sudanese army.
In February, the U.S. raised alarms about reported arms shipments from Iran to Sudan’s military.
At that time, the army managed to regain some territory after enduring several defeats from the RSF.
Sudan has also recently sought stronger ties with Russia, which experts believe has reassessed its previous connections with the RSF, with which it had links via the Wagner group.
Under former leader Omar al-Bashir, who was removed from power in 2019, Sudan had a close relationship with Iran’s government.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, with estimates reaching up to 150,000 according to U.S. envoy Tom Perriello.
It has also caused the most severe displacement crisis globally, with more than 11 million people displaced according to the United Nations and has brought the country to the brink of famine.