By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African government says it has “noted with a great deal of anxiety” the entry of the United States (US) into the Israel-Iran war.
“It was South Africa’s sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute,” the presidency said in a statement.
“South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran’s status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity.”
US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites, Trump said late on Saturday, and he warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace.
The next 48 hours are of particular concern, according to two defense officials and a senior White House official.It’s unclear whether any retaliation would target overseas or domestic locations, or both, the officials said.
U.S. bases and assets have been at their highest state of alert for months, but after Israel began warring with Iran on June 13, the officials, who spoke earlier in the week, said concerns were heightened even more about the potential for attacks on U.S. assets from Iran or its proxies in the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, warned of “everlasting consequences.”
“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” Araghchi said in a social media post.
“The events this morning [Sunday] are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.”
He added that Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people”.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told journalists the strikes were launched to “neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our allies.”
“This mission was not, has not been, about regime change,” Hegseth told journalists.
A number of key figures in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran, and his promise to extract the United States from its “forever wars” in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins.