DIRCO says it may assist with mediation but warns citizens to leave the region as the conflict intensify
By Mapaballo Borotho
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has called on South Africans who are stuck in the Middle East to evacuate and come back home immediately.
This comes as tensions between the US-Israel alliance and Iran escalated earlier this week, leaving Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, dead.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since assumed the position as the new Supreme Leader.
Speaking on Kaya 959’s Point of View, DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said South Africa does not want to impose itself in the tensions. However, there is a possibility of the country mediating the situation.
“We do not want to impose ourselves; we are still analysing the situation, however we are available to mediate. Our stance is we need to prevent war and in war, ordinary citizens always receive the end of the brunt. If we are called upon to mediate, we’ll be available to do so,” said Phiri.
Phiri urged South Africans who are stuck in the Middle East to evacuate as soon as the airspace opens.
Day 6 since the escalations started – what’s happening today?
The situation is escalating inside Iran while regional tensions are intensifying across the Gulf, Lebanon and Iraq.
According to media reports, Iran has threatened global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and fighting is spreading across multiple fronts in the Middle East. Further afield, a US submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the death toll from five days of US-Israeli attacks has reached 1,045, with more than 6,000 people wounded.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the United States and Israel of strikes on 33 civilian sites across the country. These locations reportedly include hospitals, schools, residential areas, the Tehran Grand Bazaar and the historic Golestan Palace complex.
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