South Africa Plays Down Comments by Its General Visiting Iran

The South African government distanced itself from remarks by the country’s top general during a visit to Iran, where he criticized Israel and voiced solidarity with the Islamic Republic.

South African National Defence Force Chief Rudzani Maphwanya was quoted by local media declaring that the two nations share common goals, calling for deeper ties. Pretoria’s close ties with Tehran are among points of contention between South Africa and Washington, which slapped a 30% tariff on the sub-Saharan nation’s goods entering the US this month.