In a meeting with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Naledi Pandor, held in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed South Africa’s support for the Palestinian people and expressed hatred and disgust at the atrocities of the Zionist regime.
Questioning the functioning of the UN Security Council, Raisi said, “When the United States, by sending equipment and weapons to the Zionist regime, participates in its crimes against the defenseless people of Gaza and prevents the issuance of a resolution condemning these crimes in the UN Security Council, there is no hope for this council to play a role in maintaining world peace.”
The president also described South Africa's role in preventing the observer membership of the Zionist regime in the African Union as responsible, his official website reported.
For her part, Pandor said Iran's membership in BRICS was the result of consensus achieved by all member countries and emphasized that Iran can play an effective role in enhancing the position of BRICS and the joint efforts of countries for fair progress.
“In the same framework, South Africa is also very interested in strengthening cooperation, especially in the economic field, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” she stated.
The meeting came against a backdrop of relentless Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip.
At least 4,651 Palestinians have been killed and more than 14,000 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise operation outside Gaza.
Some 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air attacks on Gaza in the last 24 hours alone.