Iran (IMNA) - Speaking to the Arabic service of Russia's Sputnik news agency at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2024 in Antalya, Turkey, Ali dismissed a news article published in The Wall Street Journal as "false and fabricated."
Ali clarified that during his recent visit to Iran, the topic of Iran seeking to establish a naval base in Sudan was never brought up. This statement comes in response to The Wall Street Journal's claim earlier in the day that Iran had approached Sudanese authorities for permission to construct a naval base on the Red Sea coast. The newspaper allegedly cited a senior Sudanese intelligence official, Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, who claimed that Iran had offered advanced weaponry in exchange for consent to build the base, with intentions to gather intelligence and station warships near the Suez Canal and Israeli-occupied territories.
In October of the previous year, Iran and Sudan had agreed to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year hiatus. The two nations aimed to strengthen their ties across various sectors to benefit both Muslim nations and promote regional stability. Sudan had severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 following an incident involving the storming of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran.
Meanwhile, Sudan has been embroiled in a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, since hostilities erupted on April 15, 2023, leading to instability in the African nation.
Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali al-Sadiq Ali has refuted allegations made by Western media regarding Iran's purported attempt to establish a permanent naval base on Sudan's Red Sea coast.
News ID 733169
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