Sudan has been distancing itself from Iran for some time. Khartoum's intent, in part, was to move closer to Iran's biggest regional rival, Saudi Arabia, and its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members. In many ways, Khartoum already has been handsomely rewarded for its ties with Riyadh . Yet its ultimate goal was to forge a friendship not with Saudi Arabia, but with the United States. Sudan's ambitions are not unrealistic, either. The United States and Sudan's history of cooperating closely on counterterrorism and regional security dates to the 1970s and 1980s, before Sudan gained a reputation as a haven for terrorist groups such as al Qaeda . That Israel, one of the United States' closest allies, is now lobbying for a detente on Sudan's behalf could signal a renewal of ties between Washington and Khartoum ahead.