Iran offers South Africa safe passage through Strait of Hormuz amid US tensions

Iran has offered safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for South African cargo after Pretoria refused American pressure to cut ties with Tehran.

Mansour Shakib Mehr, Iran’s ambassador, said his country had a “very close dialogue and exchange” with South Africa and encouraged other members of the BRICS bloc to lobby the United States to halt the war.

South Africa’s friendly ties with Iran have become a key source of tension in its already strained relations with Washington.

The African National Congress (ANC)-led government of Cyril Ramaphosa has said its relationship with Tehran stems from a policy of neutrality and non-alignment in global affairs.

However, the US ambassador recently warned that maintaining close ties with Iran was “an impediment to good relations” with Donald Trump.

Dane Zangor, director-general of South Africa’s Department of International Relations, rejected the criticism, saying there was no “reason to cut ties with Iran”.

“We cannot be pulled into the sort of sphere-of-influence politics that great powers want to draw us into, and that in this instance includes the US,” he said.

The Iranian ambassador said the Strait of Hormuz remained open to “friendly countries” such as China and India, and had only been restricted for US and Israeli cargo.

He added: “If the Republic of South Africa is in need of such an action, we are positively and strongly supporting this idea and are able to cooperate with them to pass their cargo and tankers.”

The ANC has maintained close relations with Iran since the 1979 revolution, when the new regime supported sanctions against apartheid.

In recent years, South Africa has regularly abstained or voted against United Nations resolutions condemning Iran.

Iran joined the BRICS bloc in 2023, and earlier this year South Africa hosted three Iranian warships for naval exercises off Cape Town.

However, the relationship has come at an increasing diplomatic cost. Alongside South Africa’s ties with Russia and China, and its genocide case against Israel, it has become a flashpoint in relations with Washington.

Tensions have also surfaced domestically. The ANC’s coalition partner in the government of national unity this week condemned what it described as a “schizophrenic and disingenuous” foreign policy towards Tehran.

During an urgent parliamentary debate on South Africa’s response to the Iran crisis, Ryan Smith, an MP for the Democratic Alliance, said the ANC’s attempt to “condemn all parties” ignored Iran’s “decades-long sponsorship of terrorism”.

He accused the party of turning South Africa into “Iran’s useful idiots” and “tap dancing around diplomatic double standards”.

Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s international relations minister, rejected the criticism, saying the government opposed military action and favoured diplomacy.

“History offers no record of people being liberated by bombs falling from the sky,” he said.

South Africa’s defence chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, was last year reprimanded after travelling to Tehran and declaring that the two countries stood together “alongside the oppressed and defenceless people of the world”.

The ANC said his remarks did not represent official policy, and Mr Ramaphosa described the visit as “ill-advised”.