Sudan and Iran reached an agreement to restore their diplomatic relations, ending a seven-year rift, as announced by the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on October 9, 2023.
Sudan and Iran have reinstated diplomatic relations and will reopen embassies, according to a joint statement issued by the foreign ministries of both countries on October 9.
Relations between Khartoum and Tehran had been severed since 2016, following the ransacking of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran.
At that time, Sudan had aligned itself with the oil-rich kingdom. However, Riyadh and Tehran moved closer in March, following several months of negotiations.
This decision followed “high-level communications between the two countries,” commented Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Ali Al-Sadiq. The process began in July during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, confirmed the Iranian Foreign Minister.
The joint statement affirmed their commitment to “deepen their ties,” which they believe will contribute to regional stability.
Iran has historically been an ally of Sudan. In her latest report, researcher Banafsheh Keynoush from the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies notes that Tehran was a major arms supplier to Khartoum in the 1990s and 2000s. In return, Sudan served as a conduit for arming Hamas and Hezbollah.
By drawing closer to Iran, General al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese army and president of the Transitional Council, gains a significant ally in his conflict with General Hemedti, leader of the Rapid Support Forces, with whom he has been at war since April 15, 2023.