The United States (US) has noted with “concern and alarm” reports that the Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga and the South African Defence Force (SANDF) defied a government order regarding Iran’s participation in the ongoing BRICS naval exercises near Simon’s Town.
In a statement posted on X, the US Embassy in Pretoria referred to Iran as a destabilizing action and state sponsor of terror and that its inclusion in the joint exercises in any capacity undermined maritime security and regional stability.
A government source earlier confirmed to SABC News that Iran was asked to withdraw from the drills only for the SANDF to later post a now deleted statement on Facebook that the Iranian corvette Naghdi participated in the sea phase exercise.
The Presidency earlier put out its own statement expressing concern about developments in Iran and urged both restraint and for authorities there to ensure that citizens exercised their right to protest in peace.
The statement said it was unconscionable that South Africa welcomed what the Embassy referred to as Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity that South Africans fought so hard to gain for themselves.
It argued that SA could not lecture the world on ‘justice’ while cozying up to Iran.
The statement again questioned the country’s stated position of non-alignment saying that permitting Iranian military forces to operate in South African waters or going to Tehran and expressing solidarity called that non-aligned framing into question while accusing Pretoria of standing with a regime that brutally represses its people and engages in terrorism.
—SABC—
