Iranian Embassy Emphasises Historical Friendship With South African Government
- The Iranian Embassy in South Africa has expressed its long-standing relations with the South African government
- The Embassy responded to a tweet by controversial politician and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP Andole Mngxitama
- The Embassy’s stance sparked a debate, drawing lines between supporters and critics of Iran’s relationship with South Africa from the Apartheid era
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
PRETORIA— The Iranian embassy in South Africa’s stance on its relationship with the South African government has sparked a heated debate between those who supported it and those who criticised the manner in which the Iranian government supported the apartheid regime. The two countries’ relationship has come under the microscope as conflict in the Middle East escalates.
The Iranian Embassy posted a response on its @IraninSA X account on 10 March 2026 to politician and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP Andile Mngxitama. Mngxitama posted a collage containing two pictures of former presidents Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma seated with the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khemenei, who was killed during a military strike on 28 February 2026. Mngxitama’s post was captioned “History”.
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The Iranian Embassy echoed the African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula’s sentiments on the relationship between the two countries, describing it as deep-rooted.
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What did South Africans say?
Netizens were split between those who supported the relationship and those who opposed it.
Supporters of the Iran-SA relationship
Eccendentesiast said:
“And it doesn’t need Israel or the US’s approval.”
Nonduku added:
“Iran has the right to defend itself. Long live Iran.”
Blackman remarked:
“We know our friends.”
Vincy pointed out:
“Bozell should know history.”
South Africans who oppose the relationship
Mervyn Smith observed:
“Funny that Iran and the Apartheid South African government had equally deep-rooted friendships with arms for oil deals during the 80s.”
AfricanAirOrdnance said:
“So deep that, from 1980 to 1988 you traded weaponsfor oil with the South African Apartheid regime, which helped them fight the ANC, whom you claim to be so close to.”
CypherpunkHRH said:
“No, it’s not. Your values and cultural norms are despicable.”
PhatGhandelf said:
“So deep that only a B-52 Stratofortress can reach it.”
Donald Trump explains reasons for attacking Iran
In a related article, Briefly News reported that United States President Donald Trump explained his reasons for launching an operation against Iran in tandem with Israel. The United States attacked Iran on 28 February, triggering a conflict that involved other Middle Eastern nations, which Iran attacked in retaliation.
Trump alleged that Iran was working on a new site for developing nuclear weapons, which explained his rationale behind attacking the country. Trump told reporters on 10 March 2026 that the war had started because Iran was allegedly planning to take over the Middle East. He added that if he did not attack first, Iran would have attacked first.
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Source: Briefly News
