Rhino: agencies, The United States has seen reports of Iranian support for the military and is monitoring the situation, a State Department spokesperson said.

“The United States opposes foreign intervention in support of the conflict in Sudan, which will only exacerbate and prolong the conflict and risk further regional instability,” the spokesperson said.

Six Iranian sources, regional officials and diplomats told Reuters that the army has acquired Iranian-made drones over the past few months.

The Sudanese Armed Forces used some older drones in the early months of the war alongside artillery batteries and fighter jets, but had little success in eliminating RSF fighters.

A senior Sudanese army source denied to Reuters that the Iranian-made drones came directly from Iran, declining to say how they were purchased or how many the army had received.

Iranian and regional sources said Tehran’s support for the Sudanese military is aimed at strengthening ties with the strategically located country.

Cooperation between Sudan and Iran was strong under former President Omar al-Bashir, until he turned to Iran’s Gulf rivals for economic support at the end of his three-decade rule, leading to the severing of ties with Tehran.