S. African, Islamic Republic of Iran officials meet to deepen military ties, pro-IRGC sources say – The Jerusalem Post

Officials from South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran met on Tuesday in Tehran in order to strengthen and deepen military cooperation, according to reports from pro-Islamic Republic sources Tasnim News and Tehran Times.

The officials, in particular, were Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iranian military commander, Maj.-Gen. Amir Hatami, and South African National Defense Force Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya.

Tasnim quoted Hatami as saying that “Iran and South Africa share anti-colonial and anti-arrogance views,” and that the two countries “have common goals and have always stood by the oppressed and defenseless people.”

Then, the Iranian commander said, “The Islamic Republic and South Africa have always supported each other and oppressed nations. This mission must continue until the restoration of a global order based on justice and human dignity.”

Hatami then praised the African nation for condemning the US and Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war. He also praised South Africa for bringing a case to the International Court of Justice, where Israel is accused of committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip in its war against Hamas. He then praised them for condemning both the US and Israel for “joint atrocities against Palestinians,” with the Times report quoting Hatami describing South Africa’s condemnation as “courageous and commendable.”

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Mousavi then added to Hatami’s statements, saying that, “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is recognized as the world’s largest anti-terrorist force and possesses valuable experiences that it can share with South Africa,” the Times quoted him as saying.

Meeting with Iranian Defense Minister

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh had met with Maphwanya, where the former emphasized in their conversation that the 12-day war in June “proved [Israel’s] and the United States’ disregard for international norms.” He called the targeting of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities and killing their top commanders “state terrorism.”

The report then said that Maphwanya “expressed disgust at Israeli actions and genocide in Gaza and highlighted shared ideals between South Africa’s late leader Nelson Mandela and Iran’s Imam Khomeini (RA) in opposing injustice and discrimination.”