Thabo Mbeki Calls on International Community To Respond Urgently to the Middle Eastern Conflict

• Former President Thabo Mbeki has called on the international community to speak up about the conflict in the Middle East
• Israel attacked Iran and accused the country of producing a nuclear weapon, which it had to stop
• As the United States also entered the Middle East conflict, Mbeki said that the region's instability has a detrimental effect on many countries around the world

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.

JOHANNESBURG — Former President Thabo Mbeki has called on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the conflicts in the Middle East.

What did Thabo Mbeki say?

According to SABC News, Mbeki spoke while celebrating his 83rd birthday. He said that what the Americans did was 100% wrong. Mbeki said that the conflict between Iran and Israel, which the United States has entered, must be solved by diplomatic negotiations.

The former statesman said the escalation of the conflict between the warring states in the Middle East is worrying. Mbeki said the international community must not be silent about the Middle Eastern conflict.

What is happening in the Middle East?

The Middle East has been engulfed in conflict involving Israel, Iran and Hamas in Palestine. Israel is waging war on two fronts: it has been warring against Hamas since October 2024, and it recently attacked Iran in an alleged attempt to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapon.

The United States recently entered the fray. US president Donald Trump announced on 22 June that the US bombed three sites in Iran that were pat of its nuclear programme. Nobody was injured, and the iranian government condemned the incident.

In retaliation, Iran launched an attack on a US base in Qatar on 23 June. The Qatari air force intercepted the missiles Iran launched and prevented them from striking the base. Trump reportedly responded to the attack and said that Iran had gotten it out of the system and could be open to negotiations.

How did South Africa respond?

In response, the MK Party, the official opposition, condemned the US' attack and called it an aggressive declaration of war.The parrt added that the United Nations Security Council did not sanction the attack.

The Economic Freedom Fighters' president Julius Malema also weighed in on the attack. He supported Iran's right to defend itself, and accused Israel and the United States of bullying Iran.

Cyril Ramaphosa reacts to America's attack on Iran

In a related article, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to the United States' attack on Iran. He called for peace in the region.

Ramaphosa spoke after the US dropped bombs on Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites. Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president called on Iran, Israel and the United States to allow the United Nations to lead a peaceful resolution. This, he said, would include assessing whether Iran is building a nuclear weapon.

Source: Briefly News