JOHANNESBURG
South Africa said on Thursday it was monitoring the protests in Iran with concern, urging all parties to exercise “maximum” restraint.
“Sustainable peace and stability can only be achieved through solutions that center the agency of the Iranian people,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
Pretoria called on Iranian authorities to guarantee citizens’ right to peaceful protest, responding to “concerning” reports of unrest and fatalities.
The ministry stressed that South Africa considers the rights to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and freedom of association as universal human rights that “must be upheld without exception.”
South Africa’s statement comes as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to back protesters in Iran, where a crackdown by authorities is said to have resulted in an increasing number of casualties.
Tehran has accused Washington and Israel of backing what they describe as “riots” and “terrorism” amid mounting uncertainty over a possible US military action against Iran.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based group, estimates that at least 2,615 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel.
So far, Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties or detainees.
The protests began on Dec. 28 in commercial hubs in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions, and have since grown into nationwide anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others across multiple cities.
