President Ebrahim Raeisi made the comments in a meeting with visiting South African Foreign Minister Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor and her entourage in Tehran on Sunday.
Appreciating the efforts of South Africa for the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the BRICS group, the Iranian president also hailed the South African government and nation for supporting the Palestinian people and expressing their anger at the atrocities of the Zionist regime.
Referring to the crimes committed by the Zionists against the people, especially Palestinian women and children, Raeisi described the position of South Africa in preventing the observer membership of the Zionist regime in the African Union as admirable.
Calling into question the position and function of the UN Security Council in establishing and maintaining security and peace in the world, he stated, "When the United States, by sending equipment and weapons to the Zionist regime, is an accomplice in the regime's crimes against the defenseless people of Gaza, and it vetos a resolution condemning those crimes, one cannot hope for this council to play a role in maintaining world peace."
South Africa's foreign minister, for her part, stated that Iran's membership in BRICS was a matter of consensus of all member countries, stressing that "Iran can play an effective role in enhancing the status of BRICS and the joint efforts of countries for justice-based progress."
Pandor further said that, "South Africa is greatly interested in strengthening the future cooperation, especially in the economic field with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
KI