Navigating diplomacy: South Africa's response to Iran-Israel tensions
President Ramaphosa is grappling with a diplomatic solution to the Iran-Israel war.
Image: Jairus Mmutle/ GCIS
As the world grapples with the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a cautious statement calling for dialogue and peaceful resolution.
The statement, released on Sunday, reflects the country's delicate diplomatic position, given its warm relations with Iran and its history of criticising Israel's actions in Gaza.
Ramaphosa's statement expressed "anxiety" over the US involvement in the conflict, urging President Donald Trump to use his influence to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path.
"It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute," the statement read.
'President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government have noted with a great deal of anxiety the entry by the United States of America into the Israel-Iran war.
'It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute.
'South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity,' the statement reads.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ramaphosa also called on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters in dispute.
South Africa's response to the conflict is complicated by its relations with Iran and Israel.
As a fellow BRICS member, South Africa has warm diplomatic relations with Iran. However, the country has also been a staunch critic of Israel's conduct in Gaza, culminating in a landmark International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocide.
Pretoria has publicly cut diplomatic ties with Israel, formally downgrading the embassy.
The international community has reacted to the conflict with varying degrees of condemnation and support.
Political analyst Dr John Molepo said the government has sought to portray itself as a champion of the Global South, a defender of international law, and a broker of multipolar diplomacy.
'Ramaphosa's measured response reflects the complexities of this balancing act, as the country seeks to maintain its relationships with both Iran and the US while upholding its commitment to peaceful resolution and international law,' Molepo said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
28 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
A walk through the Gupta's properties before auction day
Three properties formerly owned by the controversial Gupta family in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, are set to be auctioned individually on July 24. Located within a single estate, the homes include a three-storey mansion, a single-storey house with three bedrooms, and a 17-bedroom luxury dwelling. The properties once served as the Gupta family's South African residence during their rise to political influence. During a recent media tour hosted by the auctioneers tasked with selling the properties, remnants of their lifestyle, from unused furniture to private prayer rooms and locked safes, offered a rare glimpse into the spaces they left behind when they departed the country in 2018 under a cloud of state capture allegations. The Saxonwold compound was where the Gupta family wined and dined politicians in what was widely viewed as part of a strategy to capture state influence and secure government contracts. The Guptas fled South Africa and are being pursued by the government to face criminal charges. First on the tour is house number five, a three-storey compound known among staff and auctioneers as 'the white house'. From the outside, it appears as if the façade is weeping, the white paint peeling and curling off the walls like old wallpaper, revealing the brick beneath. You are not welcomed by grandeur. Instead, it's the blue park village auction posters pasted on pillars that meet your eye first, declaring the property's impending fate. Inside, the house feels cold. Not just in temperature but in spirit. There is a faint scent of abandonment and stale air that clings to the corridors. Light filters through thick curtains and dust dancing in the rays. The house has eight bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Some rooms still cradle remnants of life, dusty bed sheets, half-burnt candles, unopened shower gels and forgotten toys. It's like time hit pause, but only for some things. In one room, a prayer space is preserved with uncanny stillness. Two red chairs, incense, salts, candles and a picture of their deity remain, untouched. It feels sacred almost off-limits even now. All the electronics have been ripped from the walls. Wires dangle where televisions used to hang. Yet old-school telephones remain beside each bed. There is mould in corners of the bedrooms, fed by roof leaks and disuse. Portraits signed by artist June Tuckett, hang slightly skew on the walls. According to Art Market Tuckett is an 'artist born in South Africa in 1944. The artist's works have gone up for sale at public auction 75 times, mostly in the painting category.' The indoor swimming pool still holds water, stagnant, cloudy and green. At the back, the garden remains lush with trees and flowers, but the grass is beginning to die. Nature is trying to reclaim what power it has left behind.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Explosions heard over Qatar capital Doha after Iran threat to retaliate for US strikes
Explosions were heard over Qatar's capital Doha on Monday, a Reuters witness reported, shortly after a Western diplomat said there had been a credible Iranian threat against the US-run al Udeid airbase in the Gulf Arab state since midday. The diplomat spoke soon after Qatar announced it had closed its air space temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. Earlier, the US embassy in Qatar had advised Americans to shelter in place, out of what it said was 'an abundance of caution'. Iran has issued threats to retaliate against the US after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on the country's underground nuclear installations over the weekend, while President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled. Earlier on Monday, Israel struck a jail for political prisoners in Tehran in a potent demonstration that it was expanding its targets beyond military and nuclear sites to aim squarely at the pillars of Iran's ruling system. Two US officials said Washington assessed that Iran could carry out attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, though the US is still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any reprisal. Despite Iran's threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices largely held steady, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Trump warns against rising oil prices following Iran attack
In a photo released by the White House via X, US President Donald Trump is seen in the Situation Room of the White House on June 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Image: AFP President Donald Trump demanded that energy producers push down crude prices following US military strikes on Iran, amid fears that an escalating Middle East conflict and supply disruptions could extend the recent surge on oil markets. 'EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!' Trump posted Monday on social media. In a subsequent post, Trump urged the Energy Department to 'DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!' Energy Secretary Chris Wright responded in a post on X that 'we're on it.' Iran has warned that Trump's decision to join Israel's military offensive with attacks on its three main nuclear sites would trigger retaliation. Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that carries about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade. Although concern has focused on that chokepoint, any possible retaliation could affect other infrastructure key to the region's oil processing and shipment. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Roughly 70% to 75% of the crude, condensate and refined products that come out of the Gulf flow through some nine facilities, which could be bottlenecks, said Colby Connelly, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Higher prices for oil - as well as the gasoline and jet fuel made from it - would squeeze US consumers whose bank accounts have been stretched in recent years by inflation, a development that could inflict political pain on Trump and Republicans. If the strait is shut to shipping, crude could soar past $130 (R2 350) per barrel, according to a Bloomberg Economics estimate. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier Monday that the US is 'actively and closely monitoring this situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision.' Global oil benchmarks are roughly 10% higher than they were immediately before Israel attacked Iran earlier this month. But Monday saw markets erase initial gains, as fears began to fade of an immediate disruption of supplies. Brent crude initially surged to $81.40 a barrel, but later dropped below $77. Trump's directive for more US drilling cannot, on its own, spur more oil and gas development. US oil executives have shown little appetite in recent years to dramatically boost output, with the price of West Texas Intermediate at times falling below the cost of production at some sites. Oil companies generally are plotting investment decisions in the US based on long-term price forecasts - not the temporary spike spurred by the attacks on Iran and the fear of supply disruption in the Mideast. Well before the American attack, Trump administration officials discussed the potential for oil supply disruptions that could drive up prices for crude, as well as options for countering any surge, according to people familiar with the matter. The current climb reflects 'the market pricing in the potential for disruption' and not a reaction to any actual loss in supply, Connelly said. Even so, 'there are impacts that are beginning to be felt elsewhere in the world, and the macroeconomic outlook will feel that the longer this goes on, even if there is no actual loss of supply.' Trump's post suggests the emerging oil-price impacts - which could ripple across the economy - are weighing on him. For weeks before the conflict, Trump had praised the fall in oil prices, even to the chagrin of the executives who helped bankroll his 2024 presidential campaign. Yet Trump has limited options to help contain the price impacts at home. While he could tap the US emergency oil stockpile, that reserve has been depleted to about 400 million barrels of crude, about half its capacity. Analysts warn even a strategic release of emergency crude would do little to offset the loss of potentially millions of barrels of crude daily through the Strait of Hormuz, should Iran retaliate by seeding its narrow shipping lanes with naval mines to disrupt traffic. BLOOMBERG
