South Africa urges diplomacy amid tensions involving Iran, calling for UN-led peaceful resolution of global conflicts.
Image: Mohammad Mahdi Dehghani/ Fars News Agency / AFP
South Africa has called for the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Charter and a renewed commitment to multilateralism, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the UN Country Team Annual Retreat in Pretoria, Alvin Botes, deputy minister of international relations and cooperation, said the UN Charter remains the cornerstone of global governance and urged parties to resolve disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means.
"Conflicts cannot be solved through military means alone," Botes said, warning against unilateral military actions and practices that bypass international law.
He expressed concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East, noting that the widening conflict, including unilateral and illegal military actions directed against Iran and the risk of further regional spillover, threatens the global economy, energy security, shipping routes and fragile diplomatic balances.
Multilateralism is a strategic necessity for countries of the Global South, Botes said, stressing that international law serves as a safeguard for sovereign equality and justice.
"Let us ensure that multilateralism does not retreat into procedural ritual and institutional self-preservation, but becomes more representative, more inclusive, more development-oriented and more responsive to the Global South," he added.
South Africa has maintained a critical stance on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly in relation to Israel and the United States’ strikes on Iran. Pretoria has condemned attacks on Iranian territory, including strikes on military and nuclear-linked infrastructure, arguing they violate international law and threaten regional stability.
In recent statements, the government has called for restraint from all sides and urged that disputes involving Iran, Israel and the US be resolved through diplomatic channels under the United Nations framework. It has also warned that further escalation risks widening the conflict across the region, with serious humanitarian and global security consequences.
South Africa has repeatedly positioned itself as a supporter of international legal processes, including its ongoing case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, while continuing to argue that all parties in the region must comply with international law and avoid targeting civilians or critical infrastructure.
Xinhua