Sudan foreign minister visits Tehran amid reports Iran provided drones
The meeting comes after the two countries agreed to resume their diplomatic ties in October.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian hosted his Sudanese counterpart, Ali Al-Sadiq Ali, in the capital Tehran on Monday. It was the first visit by a senior Sudanese official since the two countries resumed their diplomatic ties in October as Khartoum grapples with a split in government between Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his rival, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Hemedti.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Monday, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Nasser Kanani said Ali’s visit comes in the framework of efforts to reopen the embassies of the two countries in Tehran and Khartoum.
The visit came after Bloomberg reported on Jan. 24 that Iran is seeking a foothold in the country and has supplied Sudan’s army with combat drones, further fueling concerns of a new proxy war in the region. Regional powers such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are already involved in the East African nation's conflict.
Kanani said that the two countries are discussing plans to fully resume bilateral relations after the former Sudanese government cut off ties with Tehran based on what he described as “false reasons and statements.”
