Cyril Ramaphosa Calls for Peace After the United States Strikes Iran’s Nuclear Sites

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an end to the Middle Eastern war after the United States entered the conflict between Israel and Iran
• The United States bombed three strategic nuclear sites on 22 June 2025, and it sparked concerns that Iran may retaliate
• The president's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said that Pretoria calls for the clashing nations to allow the United Nations to lead a resolution for peace

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international relations, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

PRETORIA — President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the United States, Israel, and Iran to allow the United Nations a chance to seek a resolution in the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Ramaphosa calls for peace

According to SABC News, Ramaphosa spoke on 22 June after US President Donald Trump announced that three nuclear development sites in Iran were bombed. Ramaphosa said he hoped that Trump would exert his influence as the United States president to facilitate peace between the warring sides.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Ramaphosa called on Iran, Israel, and the United States to allow the UN to lead a peaceful resolution. This would include assessing Iran's uranium enrichment status and its nuclear capacity.

What is happening in Iran?

Iran has condemned the strikes and has stressed that it has the right to defend itself while it attempts to assess the damage. Iranian officials have threatened that the country will retaliate. The US attacked nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. United States officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy President JD Vance, have insisted that the US does not want war with Iran.

What's South Africa's response?

The MK Party, the official opposition, has condemned the attack on Iran and called it an aggressive declaration of war. The party accused the United States of flouting international laws in its attack.

The official opposition pointed out that the United Nations Security Council did not sanction the attack. It added that the attack undermined Iran's sovereignty and efforts at stability and diplomacy.

Ramaphosa previously called for dialogue between Israel and Iran after Iran bombed Tel Aviv recently. He spoke during the 30th anniversary of the Constitutional Court and said the ongoing conflict has dealt a devastating blow to the world's economies. He said countries are suffering from the fuel price increases due to the conflict.

Cyril Ramaphosa slammed for elderly National Dialogue eminent person

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Ramaphosa received criticism for appointing former Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Dr Brigalia Bam to the National Dialogue. Bam is the oldest eminent person at he age of 92.

Other elder members include Barbara Masekela and Ela Gandhi, both of whom are 84 years old. Legendary actor John Kani is 81 years old, while the youngest member is Miss South Africa Mia Le Roux, who is 29. The African National Congress Youth League's president, Collen Malatji, said the dialogue will have no direction if the youth do not lead it.

Source: Briefly News