Did Iran Request to Establish a Military Base in Sudan?

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nassar Kanani denied reports published by Western newspapers regarding "Tehran's request for Khartoum to establish an Iranian military base on the Sudanese coast along the Red Sea," according to the "Novosti" agency. He confirmed that "these reports have no basis in fact and are driven by political motives." He added, "The Wall Street Journal's claim that Iran requested Sudan to establish a base on the Red Sea is incorrect." Earlier, Sudanese security advisor Ahmed Hassan Mohammed revealed in an interview with the "WSJ" that "Iran requested the Sudanese army to allow it to build a base on the Red Sea, and Khartoum rejected this request." He stated, "Iran provided the Sudanese army with drones and offered to provide a warship carrying helicopters if Sudan granted it permission to establish a military base on the Red Sea." He further added, "The Iranians confirmed that they wanted to use the base for intelligence gathering and also wanted to station warships there, but Khartoum rejected the Iranian proposal to avoid a reaction from the United States and Israel."