Khartoum and Tehran agreed to open embassies following a meeting of their foreign ministers three months ago.
Following a seven-year hiatus and three months after a meeting of their foreign ministers, Sudan and Iran announced the restoration of diplomatic ties in a joint statement on Monday.
It stated that the parties had agreed to conduct the required actions “shortly” in order to open embassies.
The announcement, which was published on the official Telegram Diplomatic Channel, stated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Sudan decided to resume their diplomatic relations… the two sides also agreed to take the necessary steps to open their embassies in the near future and to exchange official delegations in order to explore ways of extending cooperation between Tehran and Khartoum.”
It went on to say that the two parties had agreed “to deepen their ties in different areas,” albeit no other information was given.
The choice was made following several meetings with senior officials in recent months, during which the “sovereignty, equality, mutual interest, and peaceful coexistence” of the two countries were discussed, according to the statement.
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Following Iranian protesters’ invasion of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran on January 4, 2016, Sudanese officials declared their decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran. Khartoum indicated that they had a notion that Iran was interfering in the region and inciting religious animosity.
As part of the Saudi coalition, Sudan, a strong ally of Saudi Arabia, sent troops to fight the Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen who were supported by Iran.
The then-President Omar al-Bashir-led government of Sudan expressed its support for Saudi Arabia. A military coup that took place in April 2019 led to Bashir’s deposition and removal from office.
Following the takeover by the Sudanese Army in 2021, relations between Sudan and Iran have gradually improved.
