The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) notes that in recent days, joint military strikes by the United States and Israel have targeted cities and infrastructure in Iran, marking one of the most significant expansions of hostilities in the region in decades. These operations have already caused extensive casualties and prompted retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, with broader regional tensions rising sharply.
It is regrettable that the Islamic Republic of Iran, with near weapons grade uranium enrichment, refused to de-escalate during diplomatic negotiations and have also refused to stop their progress towards building nuclear weapons. The world must remember that the IRGC in Iran, turned on its own people, and massacred over 32 000 unarmed Iranian citizens, within a few days. This is more people killed in days, than those killed in one year, in the Israeli/Gaza conflict.
The ACDP believes that the Iranian people, like all peoples, have an inalienable right to live in peace, to determine their own future, and to pursue democratic governance free from tyranny and oppression. Many Iranian citizens have long voiced aspirations for reform, human rights, and governance that reflects the will of the people rather than the dictates of power alone. Their voices should be honoured, not drowned out by the noise of religious fanaticism, guns or geopolitical rivalry. These are real people with hopes, with dreams, and with the same yearning for dignity that unites us all.
According to a 1 March 2026 statement from Iranians in South Africa, “For 47 years, the Islamic regime has poured the wealth of our nation into a singular obsession: the destruction of Israel. Instead of building schools, hospitals, and opportunity for Iranians, it has funded terror proxies, destabilised the region, and threatened genocide. The regime’s leaders openly call for Israel to be wiped off the map while ordinary Iranians struggle under crushing sanctions, corruption, and repression. At home, this same regime has shown unspeakable cruelty toward its own people. Peaceful protesters – women, students, workers – have been massacred, beaten, and imprisoned for demanding basic freedoms. The world has witnessed young Iranians executed or silenced simply for raising their voices. The regime that chants “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” has also declared war on its own citizens.”
These actions of Iran, and the violation of its non-proliferation obligations, constitute an existential threat to Israel and endanger the entire Middle East. To illustrate this point further, Iran has in the past few days indiscriminately targeted civilians with missiles in more than a dozen locations in the Middle East.
It is the firm conviction of the ACDP that lasting peace will not be achieved through force alone, but through prayer, diplomacy, mutual respect for all sectors of the Iranian population, and concerted international efforts to support democratic movements and human rights in Iran. The new South Africa – born from the struggle against oppression – knows well the value of negotiation, of reconciliation, and of letting the will of the people chart their own destiny.
The ACDP stands in solidarity with the Iranian communities yearning for peace, freedom, and democratic self-expression— not for fanatical religious dominion or destruction, but for the common humanity that binds us all.
