Iran, Sudan Exchange Ambassadors After Eight-Year Thaw
The Facts
In the latest sign of diplomatic rapprochement after an eight-year hiatus, Iran and Sudan exchanged ambassadors on Sunday following last year's agreement to resume diplomatic relations.
The Sudanese government announced that the country's de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, received Tehran's new ambassador, Hassan Shah Hosseini, in Port Sudan.
The Spin
Pro-Iran narrative
The diplomatic rapprochement and the ambassadors' return are an encouraging signal for war-torn Sudan. Contrary to Western media reporting, Tehran's main objective is to support Khartoum in ending the proxy war in its own country and gaining absolute independence from foreign powers and their interests. Iran's strategic policy attaches great significance to the concerns of Muslim nations. By restoring diplomatic ties, Sudan's official government gains a powerful partner on its path to establishing peace.
Anti-Iran narrative
While it's good news when countries re-establish diplomatic relations, the Sudan-Iran case differs. Iran is fueling the conflict in Sudan by supplying the national army with drones — and there are indications that Tehran is supplying both parties to the conflict with weapons. Iran isn't interested in ending the conflict, and the revitalization of diplomatic relations with the defacto government primarily serves Tehran's geostrategic goal of establishing a foothold in Africa and the Red Sea at the expense of Sudan.