American sanctions on Sudan’s Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim and the Islamist Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade have once again highlighted Iran’s growing influence in Sudan and its expanding ties with Islamist groups and political figures there.
The US Treasury said the sanctions aim to curb Islamist influence in Sudan and limit Iran’s regional destabilizing role. Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement, visited Tehran in November 2024, agreeing to strengthen cooperation. Sudan and Iran restored diplomatic relations in 2024 after an eight-year break.
The move opened the door for Iran to reconnect with Sudanese Islamist groups—especially the Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade, revived in 2023 to fight alongside the army against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group, linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, attracts young recruits, mainly from Islamist student movements.
Cameron Hudson of the CSIS Africa Program told Alhurra that new sanctions data indicate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are training Sudanese army elements. Despite Sudanese denials, reports say Iranian aircraft landed in Port Sudan on March 17, 2025, delivering Mohajer-6 and Ababil-3 drones and anti-tank missiles.