Tehran has rejected a media report claiming that Iran had unsuccessfully asked Sudan to allow it to set up a naval base on its Red Sea coast, a day after Khartoum also called it into question.
Citing an unnamed Sudanese intelligence official, The Wall Street Journal on March 3 reported that Iran had offered advanced weapons to Sudan in return for permission to build a naval base on its Red Sea shore.
The Wall Street Journal added that Sudan rejected Iran’s offer out of concern for alienating the United States and Israel. Iran has supplied the Sudanese military with drones used to fight rebels. The Iranian Navy has maintained a presence in the Red Sea for years but does not have a naval base in the strategic waters.
SEE ALSO: Iranian 'Spy Ship' In Spotlight As U.S. Seeks Retaliation Against TehranIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on March 4 during a weekly press briefing that the report was “baseless and politically motivated.” A day earlier, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq denied the article, calling it “false and fabricated.”
Commercial shipping in the Red Sea has been crippled since November, when Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels started targeting ships with ties to Israel. Analysts say Tehran has used its so-called “spy ship” Behshad in the Gulf of Aden to provide intelligence to the Huthis.
The Huthis’ targeting of ships in the key global trade route has triggered retaliatory U.S. and U.K. air strikes, though questions remain about whether the attacks will deter the Yemeni rebels.
The Rubymar, a cargo vessel struck by the Huthis in late February, sunk in the Red Sea on March 3, becoming the first ship lost in the conflict.
The Huthis say they are striking Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians following the October outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.