South Africa rejects US pressure to distance itself from IranSouth Africa has no reason to cut ties with Iran, its director general of foreign affairs said, after the new US ambassador was quoted as saying the country’s association with the Islamic Republic was an impediment to good relations with Washington. In August Trump imposed a 30% tariff on imports from South Africa, a move that could cause tens of thousands of job losses at a time when a third of South Africans are out of work. Dangor said Pretoria was keen to improve ties with Washington, but “let’s engage about areas we agree on”. “We’re not going to let the domestic issues that they’ve put on the table become part of that equation,” Dangor said. The US also aims to process 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans Trump claims are persecuted.

Source: Daily Nation March 16, 2026 17:29 UTC