The "Port Sudan-Tehran" Axis: Fears Grow Over Sudan Becoming an Iranian Hub Threatening Red Sea Security

International warnings are intensifying over the "deadliest scenario" unfolding in Sudan: a growing strategic alliance between the Port Sudan-based military authority and Iran. This prompted the U.S. to recently designate the "Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood" and its armed wing, the "Al-Bara bin Malik Battalion," as a Global Terrorist Organization. Washington accuses these groups of committing ethnic massacres while receiving direct training and support from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Legacy of "Yarmouk" and Mohajer Drones A report by the Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI) highlights that military cooperation between Khartoum and Tehran is deeply rooted in the 1990s, when Iran helped build Sudan’s military-industrial complex (notably the Yarmouk factory). As the Sudanese Army grew desperate for advanced weaponry in its war against the RSF, Tehran stepped in with sophisticated drones that shifted the battlefield dynamics. In exchange, Iran is reportedly seeking a permanent naval foothold on the strategic Red Sea coast.

The Triple Threat: Iran, Houthis, and Sudanese Islamists The most dangerous scenario involves the emergence of a "triple axis" connecting Tehran, the Houthis in Yemen, and Sudanese Islamists. With Houthi leaders threatening to resume attacks on commercial shipping if strikes on Iran continue, there is a legitimate fear that Sudanese ports could be transformed into operational platforms for this axis. Such a development would place the Red Sea—already a vital alternative to the blocked Strait of Hormuz—under direct Iranian influence, threatening the total collapse of global maritime trade.