‘Mandela cause still alive’: Iran FM hails South Africa’s pro-Palestine stance

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has lauded the South African government’s decisive actions against Israel, saying it shows that the struggle initiated by the country’s first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is still alive.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a post published on the social media platform X on Saturday as he congratulated the South African government, nation, and counterpart Naledi Pandor on Freedom Day, which is celebrated on April 27 annually.

“South Africa’s decisive legal action against the Zionist regime's genocide accompanied with Johannesburg’s commendable position in defending Palestine illustrated that Nelson Mandela’s causes in combating oppression and uprooting apartheid remain alive,” he wrote.

The Iranian foreign minister went on to hail extensive cooperation between Tehran and Pretoria, which he said was achieved partly due to the importance of multilateralism in Iran’s foreign policy.

Amir-Abdollahian finally wished more prosperity and wellbeing for the South African nation, and further success and continued progress for its friendly government.

Separately, the top Iranian diplomat held a telephone conversation with Pandor, where he described South Africa as among the frontrunners of the fight for freedom.

South Africa: Israel sets precedent for countries to defy top UN court

South Africa

Amir-Abdollahian expressed Tehran’s eagerness to continue cooperation with Pretoria in the international arena, alongside the development of bilateral relations.

South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, was filed at the end of December, after nearly three months of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.

Before filing the lawsuit, the country stated that the occupying regime had failed to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

In its interim ruling on January 26, the top UN court ruled that Pretoria's claims were plausible, ordering provisional measures. The Hague-based court also said that the Israeli regime had to implement steps to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.

Israel launched the war on the coastal sliver on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.

Concomitantly with the war, the regime has been enforcing a near-total siege on Gaza, which has reduced the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory into a trickle.

Hitherto, during the recent military onslaught, the regime has killed more than 34,000 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents.

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