Sudan rejects Iranian offer to build naval base – media

Sudan reportedly rejected an Iranian offer to build a naval base in its coasts in exchange for a helicopter carrier, media reports said.

Sudan rejected the offer for fear of Western retribution at a time Iran-backed Houthis wreak havoc to international trade on the Red sea, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In seeking a permanent naval base in Sudan’s Red Sea coast, Iran plans to maintain its stronghold by reinforcing its disruptive capacity in a vital passage for international trade that is now increasingly shunned by vessels due to Houthi piracy.

Iran has already provided Sudan’s military with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for its use in the fight against a rebel warlord in the past, and now also offered to provide a helicopter carrier if Sudan granted them permission for the naval base, according to Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, Sudanese policy advisor to Sudan’s military leader who reported to the Wall Street Journal.

Iran has been sending increasingly more sophisticated weapons to the Houthis to continue their attacks on commercial ships along the trade route, while concurrently, the US is leading a multinational force to protect the ships from the attacks by the Houthis.