Both Russia and Iran have held high-level talks in recent months to establish military bases in Port Sudan.
Israel’s sustained attacks on its proxy force Hezbollah in Lebanon have forced Iran to turn its attention to Sudan in an effort to destabilize maritime security and shipping routes critical to the Jewish State’s economy.
According to an explosive report by Bloomberg, Iranian military support has increased dramatically in Sudan.
In January, Sudan’s paramilitary forces shot down a drone near the capital Khartoum that weapons experts identified as an Iranian design – the Ababil model.
While this drone was assembled in Sudan, it was built using parts shipped in from Iran.
But what really caught the attention of security experts are satellite images revealing the presence of Iran’s Mohajer-6 drone at Sudan’s Wadi Sayyidna air base.
Unlike the basic Ababil, the Mohajer-6 is a combat drone made by Iran’s Quds Air Industries that can carry and launch precision-guided missiles.
Between January and July 2024, at least seven flights between Tehran and Port Sudan were operated by Qeshm Fars Air, a US-sanctioned airline with documented ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force unit.
What raised suspicions for intelligence officials was where these cargo planes were landing back in Tehran.
Instead of using a regular commercial area like normal cargo flights, they touched down in a restricted military zone of Mehrabad Airport reserved only for Iran’s Air Force.
For planes operated by a civilian cargo company to be landing in military areas suggests they weren’t exactly hauling commercial goods.
Russia’s involvement has been equally substantial.
Following a June meeting between Sudan’s deputy leader Malik Agar and Russian officials, Moscow reportedly offered an S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, though Sudan has hesitated to accept, fearing Western backlash.
Russia has also dramatically scaled up fuel shipments, delivering 2.8 million barrels of diesel and gasoline between April and October. At least 12 tankers from various Russian ports, most with undisclosed ownership, have docked in Port Sudan since March.
Bloomberg’s investigation also reveals both Russia and Iran have held high-level talks in recent months to establish military bases in Port Sudan.
Satellite images show rapid military expansion at Port Sudan International Airport, where new hangars and storage facilities have been built in its military wing.
Meanwhile, at the city’s seaport, officials speaking anonymously described how military intelligence regularly cordons off the southern terminal to secretly unload weapons shipments.
Their combined military support has already shifted the balance of power in Sudan’s civil war, helping the army recapture parts of Khartoum and vast territories from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since April, over 11 million Sudanese have been displaced and more than 2 million are facing potential famine.
For Israel, this emerging Russian-Iranian military presence along the Red Sea represents a significant strategic threat. If plans for military facilities in Port Sudan are followed through, it would give Iran unprecedented ability to disrupt Israeli shipping so critical for its economy.