Relationship dossier
Iran
South Africa
Relationship assessment
Political and economic partnership with a history of sanctions-related friction
Iran toward South Africa
+35Iran has pursued political and economic cooperation with South Africa through bilateral engagement and the joint commission. During Raisi’s 2023 visit, the two governments signed a strategic partnership agreement and additional cooperation instruments.
South Africa toward Iran
+30South Africa has engaged Iran through bilateral cooperation and signed a strategic partnership agreement during Raisi’s 2023 visit. However, South Africa voted for UN sanctions on Iran in 2010, a position that strained relations and contributed to the disruption of South African oil imports from Iran.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship combines sustained political and economic engagement, formal bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and a strategic partnership agreement with a notable period of friction over sanctions. These features support a generally cooperative relationship, though not an exceptionally close or untroubled one.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and South Africa maintain substantive political and economic engagement, including a bilateral joint commission and a strategic partnership agreement signed during President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 visit. Their relationship has also faced friction: South Africa supported UN sanctions on Iran in 2010, and sanctions later disrupted South African oil imports from Iran. Cooperation has continued despite these differences.
Areas of tension
- South Africa’s 2010 vote for UN sanctions on Iran
- Sanctions-related disruption of South African oil imports from Iran
Key developments
South Africa voted in favor of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran, a decision that strained bilateral relations.
During President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to South Africa, the governments signed a strategic partnership agreement and additional cooperation instruments.
Major uncertainties
- The strategic partnership agreement’s implementation and practical scope are unclear.
- The scale and composition of current bilateral trade are uncertain.