Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
South Africa is concerned about the safety of its citizens in Iran, while calling for Israel and the Islamic Republic to de-escalate a conflict that has killed hundreds of people in four days.
“South Africa expresses deep concern regarding the escalation of hostilities between the state of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the ministry of international relations said.
It deplored the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing exchange of missile attacks between Israel and Iran.
Dozens of civilians, including 30 children, have been killed in Iran since Israel on Friday launched strikes on the country, targeting its energy and military infrastructure in attacks that killed nuclear scientists and senior army commanders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has termed it a pre-emptive operation aimed at halting Iran’s progress towards developing nuclear weapons.
In Israel, at least 14 people were killed on Sunday as a retaliatory barrage brought down an apartment block south of Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities said on Monday another eight people were killed overnight as missiles struck sites across Israel, including an apartment building in the central city of Petach Tikva.
“South Africa emphasises that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be considered legitimate targets,” the ministry said.
“We reiterate our urgent call for de-escalation, restraint and full compliance with international law by all parties to prevent further human suffering.”
The ministry urged South Africans in Iran to contact the country’s embassy in Tehran to communicate their whereabouts. But it cautioned that Pretoria’s diplomatic network in Iran was limited and that South Africans could not count on in-person consular assistance in case of a security emergency.
“Therefore citizens are further encouraged to assess their own safety and security and act accordingly.”
The conflict is expected to dominate discussions between world leaders at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, where they had been expected to focus on the war in Ukraine and the Trump administration’s tariff regime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending the summit, which formally commences on Monday. In March his office rejected suggestions by the US state department that South Africa was working with Iran to develop nuclear arms.