The two warships have docked for refuelling, says SudanKhartoum: Two Iranian warships docked for refuelling on Monday in Port Sudan, across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia.
Sudans army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad said the warships, one of them a navy supply ship, had arrived in Port Sudan, where civilians could tour the vessels during their port call.
Naval vessels from Iran have periodically stopped in Port Sudan for what Khartoum describes as normal port calls.
The coastal city lies about 250 kilometres across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia, which has long been wary of Irans regional ambitions.
In March, a Western diplomat said strained political relations between Riyadh and Khartoum over Iran could have been a factor in a decision by Saudi banks to stop dealing with Sudan.
Khartoum also has close ties with Qatar, which is perceived as supporting the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, towards which Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have long been hostile.
Relations between Sudan and Saudi Arabia are zero, a senior Sudanese opposition politician said last month.
But Ebrahim Ghandour, an aide to President Omar Al Bashir, said in a March interview that there is nothing peculiar in Sudans relations with Iran, insisting they had not affected ties with other countries, including Saudi Arabia, which remains a leading investor.
On Monday Sudans foreign ministry described relations with the Gulf as stable and said ties with Saudi Arabia are based on mutual respect, in a report to parliament, the official SUNA news agency said
By Gulf News
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