In this mailing: Pete Hoekstra: Iran's Dangerous New Terror Proxy: Sudan Amir Taheri: Trials and Tribulations of a Foreign Correspondent Iran's Dangerous New Terror Proxy: Sudan Iran's Encirclement of Israel, Control of Red Sea, Almost Complete by Pete Hoekstra  •  May 5, 2024 at 5:00 am "What makes the future in this case darker is Sudan's history of hosting extremists and jihadists from the far right and far left. During the previous regime, Sudan hosted Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Carlos the Jackal. This warm embrace of violent extremists earned Sudan a spot on the list of state sponsors of terrorism."— Areej Elhag, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, January 31, 2024. The bottom line for America and Europe is that the strategy of engaging and appeasing Iran has failed miserably. The U.S. and Europe must step up now to counter Iran's efforts in the Middle East and Sudan. We cannot allow new "proxies of terror" for Iran. Bloomberg reported on January 24 that Iran has been supplying the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, with military drones. Iran has also been teaching the Sudanese how to make them locally. Both the Iranian and Sudanese regimes, by a security cooperation agreement signed last month, have becomes an additional threat to Israel, to the region, and to the national security of the United States and its allies. Pictured: Al-Burhan in Gedaref State, Sudan, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) While the Biden administration is preoccupied trying to win re-election this November, as well as putting out a series of fires it helped start in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, a new area of urgent concern, largely flying under the public's radar, has been brewing: Iran's increasing penetration of Sudan. Pocketing Sudan would provide Iran with more oil, gold and rare minerals, as well as another port on Red Sea from which to continue blocking maritime commercial passage.  Sudan would also provide Iran with proximity to Israel, and serve as an additional launching pad from which to swarm Israel with more lethal drone attacks – at least until its nuclear weapons program is complete. Iran could also add Sudan to the list of the four other countries it already effectively controls in the region: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Continue Reading Article