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As Israel and Iran settle into an uneasy truce, South Africa faces mounting pressure to reassess its stance on global conflicts and its selective silence on human rights abuses.
The South African flag projected onto the facade of the Union Buildings. Picture: GCIS.
Late last month, after nearly two weeks of intense military engagement, Israel and Iran agreed to a tenuous ceasefire, brokered primarily through the diplomatic interventions of the US and Qatar.
This truce, slated to last for 60 days, is fragile at best. Beneath the formal handshakes and press statements lies a volatile balance of geopolitical ambition, legal ambiguity, economic fallout and deep cultural fractures.
While the immediate ramifications seem localised to the Middle East, the echo of this conflict reverberates across continents.
For South Africa, remaining neutral in global conflicts is becoming untenable.
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran was not born of reconciliation, but of necessity.
After 12 days of missile strikes, cyberattacks, drone warfare and proxy engagements stretching from Syria to the Persian Gulf, both countries agreed to a temporary halt in hostilities.
Israel, having inflicted heavy damage on Iranian military infrastructure, including suspected nuclear enrichment sites, sought to consolidate its gains.
Iran, grappling with mounting economic turmoil and civil unrest, accepted the ceasefire as a strategic pause.
The ceasefire’s terms remain intentionally vague. Israel has reportedly demanded the disarmament of Hamas and the removal of its leadership from the region.
Iran, in turn, insists on preserving its regional influence and its right to self-defence.
These positions remain fundamentally incompatible, making this ceasefire less a resolution and more a brief intermission in a broader conflict.
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Since the ceasefire was declared, Iran has intensified internal repression.
Within just 48 hours, it executed six individuals accused of espionage for Israel – without fair trials, juries, or access to independent legal counsel.
These executions, widely condemned by human rights groups, are only the tip of the iceberg.
Between 22 May and 21 June (spanning the war and the ceasefire) Iran carried out at least 140 executions, averaging nearly seven per day.
Most occurred without transparent judicial proceedings. Since President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024, the country has recorded over 1 370 executions.
These killings, many of which involved political prisoners or ethnic minorities, highlight Iran’s use of executions as a political weapon.
Trials, if held at all, are often secretive, with coerced confessions, no public scrutiny and outcomes predetermined by regime loyalists.
The message from Tehran is clear: resistance, real or perceived, will be silenced by the gallows. Modern conflicts are no longer fought solely on conventional battlefields.
Instead, asymmetric warfare – marked by tactics such as cyberattacks, disinformation, terrorism, and legal manipulation – has become increasingly central.
Israel continues to face asymmetric threats from groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which frequently embed military operations within civilian infrastructure.
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These groups benefit from a media and legal environment that often fails to distinguish between defence and aggression, with civilian casualties weaponised to sway public opinion. Iran, in particular, has mastered this dual strategy – flouting international norms at home while manipulating them abroad.
Its recent expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and proposed laws to prosecute foreign officials for “war crimes” illustrate its intent to use the veneer of legality to further its ideological and geopolitical objectives.
South Africa’s foreign policy, historically aligned with the Palestinian cause due to its anticolonial ethos, is now being tested.
The country has come under international scrutiny for being seen as a jurisdiction with weak enforcement mechanisms and limited oversight in areas vulnerable to abuse.
While the ANC continues to express solidarity with Palestine, its silence on Iran’s regional aggression, nuclear ambitions, and human rights abuses is conspicuous.
As a democracy with constitutional values rooted in human dignity, South Africa must ask whether its international allegiances still serve its national interest or moral framework.
The ripple effects of the Israel-Iran conflict are not confined to geopolitics.
Rising oil prices, driven by instability in the Gulf and disruptions to shipping lanes in the Red Sea, are already affecting South Africa’s economy.
Global supply chains, particularly for fuel and imported staples, have become more fragile.
For a country already battling inflation and energy insecurity, the economic aftershocks of distant wars are immediate and tangible.
On the humanitarian front, pressure is mounting for South Africa to play a greater role in refugee support and international relief.
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As global calls grow for asylum routes and emergency assistance for those displaced by conflict, South Africa will need the infrastructure and political will to respond effectively.
The 12-day war and its aftermath have exposed not only the volatility of the Middle East, but the vulnerabilities of the global order.
For Israel, the right to self-defence remains a fundamental tenet under international law.
For Iran, the war was a provocation intended to bolster domestic legitimacy and regional influence.
For the US, the conflict reflects the fine line between deterrence and escalation.
For South Africa, however, this is a defining moment – an opportunity to reassess and potentially redefine its role on the world stage.
Will it remain an ideological observer, or emerge as a principled actor capable of distinguishing between liberation and terrorism, defence and provocation, solidarity and blind allegiance?
South Africa’s legacy of justice and liberation grants it a unique voice. But that voice must be guided by clarity, not sentiment; by principles, not political slogans.
The echoes of this war demand discernment and courage.
Whether in diplomacy, law, economics, or public discourse, South Africa must rise to meet this moment – not only for its own credibility, but for the stability of a world increasingly shaped by unconventional wars and unpredictable alliances.
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