Iranian warships dock in Sudan after alleged Israeli airstrikes
| Nairobi, Kenya
Sudan鈥檚 links to Iran came under scrutiny聽Tuesday as it welcomed two Iranian warships less than a week after an聽explosion at a Khartoum weapons warehouse that Sudanese officials blamed on an聽Israeli airstrike.
Unconfirmed reports in Israel suggested that the arms factory was聽either storing or manufacturing weapons on behalf of Iran. Sudan has聽in the past denied that it allows Iranian weapons to be shipped聽through its territory to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Sudan's information minister, Ahmed Belal Osman, last week accused聽Israel of carrying out an airborne attack on the facility. An explosion at Yarmouk, outside Khartoum on Oct. 24 left extensive damage. Sudan has complained to the聽United Nations about the strike. Israel has refused to comment.
The arrival of the Iranian Navy鈥檚 helicopter carrier Kharg and its聽destroyer Admiral Shahid Naqdi on Sudan鈥檚 Red Sea coast late Monday聽raised questions over strengthening relations between Khartoum and聽Tehran.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 pure coincidence, that [the visit] has been planned for聽weeks, and has nothing to do with the factory explosion last week,鈥澛爏ays one Westerner in Sudan, who asked not to be identified.聽鈥淢aybe so, but it鈥檚 pretty clumsy timing and really raises the heat on聽both Khartoum and the Iranians over these alleged arms deals and links聽to Gaza and Hezbollah.鈥�
The warships鈥� visit was a chance to 鈥渟upport strong political,聽security and diplomatic relations鈥� between Sudan and Iran, Sawarmi聽Khaled Saad, a Sudanese Army spokesman, told the country鈥檚 official聽SUNA news agency Monday.
It would allow Sudanese officials to study 鈥渁dvanced weapons and聽advanced ships,鈥� he added.
The two vessels have been based in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea聽since September, as part of Iran鈥檚 involvement in international naval聽efforts to beat Somali piracy. An Iranian vessel was hijacked in 2008.
Their visit to Sudan would 鈥渃onvey Iran's message of peace to the聽regional countries and maintain the security of shipping corridors聽against maritime terrorism,鈥� Press TV, an Iranian state-owned聽broadcaster, reported.
The government in Khartoum Monday issued a terse statement denying聽that there was any agreement for Sudan to assemble or store arms for聽Iran.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms what is known by all: that聽Iran has no need to manufacture weapons in Sudan, for Iran or for its聽allies," the ministry said in a statement.聽"We want to deny any relation between Sudan's military manufacturing聽and any foreign partner."
Israel has in the past accused Sudan of allowing Iran to transport聽weapons to militant groups in the Middle East via its territory. The聽arms are then allegedly smuggled through Egypt to Gaza or on to聽Lebanon.
Sudan, whose president,聽Omar al-Bashir, is known to be close to Iran鈥檚聽leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has twice accused Israel of carrying out聽airstrikes inside his country.
A convoy of vehicles traveling toward Sudan鈥檚 border with Egypt was聽destroyed by unknown aircraft in January 2009, and a single SUV was聽hit in Port Sudan last year.
It was reported in 2009 that the convoy included Iranian weapons,聽including anti-tank rockets, that were being shipped to Hamas in Gaza.聽Tehran and Khartoum have both denied this.
The two Iranian warships were due to leave port on Wednesday and聽continue patrols in the Red Sea, Sudanese officials said.
