S. Africa, Iran vow to enhance bilateral army cooperation

(MENAFN) Reports indicate that South Africa and Iran have agreed to strengthen their military ties following a high-level meeting between defense officials in Tehran.

General Rudzani Maphwanya, commander of the South African National Defense Force, met on Tuesday with Iranian Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi to discuss bilateral military collaboration. Mousavi highlighted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the “world’s largest anti-terrorism force” and said Iran is ready to share its extensive expertise with South Africa.

“The Armed Forces of Iran, including the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, possess significant capabilities in various military, technical, and industrial fields. These capabilities can be utilized in cooperation with the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of South Africa to serve their mutual national interests and enhance regional and international security,” Mousavi stated.

Iranian Major General Amir Hatami also participated in the talks, emphasizing the ideological alignment between the two nations. “The Islamic Republic and South Africa have always supported each other and oppressed nations,” he said, citing South Africa’s filing of a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel over the Gaza genocide as an example of this solidarity, which he said “would go down in history.”

General Maphwanya recognized Iran’s historical support for South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, describing it as creating “a historical bond between the two nations.”

The two countries have maintained long-standing ties. Tehran supported South African liberation movements and had severed official relations and imposed a trade boycott in 1979 during apartheid, but lifted all sanctions in January 1994 and restored diplomatic relations following South Africa’s first free, all-race general elections later that year.

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