South Africa Refuses U.S. Demand to Cut Ties with Iran

South Africa has rejected pressure from Washington to distance itself from Iran, with response from senior officials reflecting a widening diplomatic rift between the two countries during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Zane Dangor, director-general of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said Pretoria had no reason to sever diplomatic ties with Tehran despite criticism from the newly appointed U.S. ambassador.

The ambassador, Leo Bozell, had earlier suggested that South Africa’s relationship with Iran was an obstacle to improving relations with Washington.

“We have not any reason to cut ties with Iran,” Dangor said, while adding that South Africa does not support every aspect of Tehran’s policies.

He noted that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government had criticized Iran earlier in the year for its crackdown on protesters in January and for attacks on neighboring states during the latest conflict with the United States.

Dangor said South Africa would resist efforts to force it into geopolitical alignments shaped by major powers. “We cannot be pulled into the sort of sphere of influence politics that great powers want to pull us into,” he said, referring to U.S. expectations that Pretoria should reassess its ties with Tehran.

The disagreement comes as governments worldwide face pressure to position themselves during the conflict between Iran and a coalition involving the United States and Israel. South Africa has maintained diplomatic relations with Iran while also expressing criticism of certain Iranian policies.

Relations between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. In August the United States imposed a 30 percent tariff on imports from South Africa, a move that economists say could threaten tens of thousands of jobs in a country where roughly one third of the population is unemployed.

Tensions between the two governments extend beyond relations with Iran. U.S. officials have also urged South Africa to withdraw its case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide during the Gaza war. Dangor rejected that demand, describing the legal action as an independent judicial process.

“It’s not even on the table,” he said regarding the possibility of abandoning the case. “If you disagree with us on this, it’s a court process.”

Washington has also criticized South Africa’s domestic economic policies aimed at addressing the legacy of apartheid. These include Black empowerment legislation that requires minimum levels of Black ownership and employment in businesses.

Dangor said Pretoria would not allow domestic policy debates to become bargaining chips in negotiations over trade disputes. “We’re not going to let the domestic issues that they’ve put on the table become part of that equation,” he said.

Another point of contention involves a U.S. proposal to process approximately 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans whom Trump claims are facing persecution. South African officials have rejected the characterization of white farmers as refugees.

Dangor described the initiative as a “preferential immigration programme” rather than a legitimate refugee policy. He said applications should be handled through standard immigration channels rather than under refugee protections.

Pretoria also denied entry to a Kenya-based organization involved in processing refugee claims related to the program, reinforcing its opposition to the initiative.