Germany and South Africa are calling for new US-Iran talks with a view to reaching a negotiated settlement in the war, after talks over the weekend failed to produce results.
“The ceasefire is holding. And I can only urge both sides to continue to make use of this time,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in Berlin on Monday during a meeting with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola.
Wadephul said he assumed “that negotiations will continue, though not in Islamabad.”
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire last week to allow for negotiations, but talks in Pakistan at the weekend ended without a breakthrough.
Wadephul and Lamola met as part of the German-South African binational commission, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.
Wadephul said he supported the US position that Iran must verifiably and credibly renounce any pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The Strait of Hormuz must also remain free and open to shipping, Wadephul said. “That is required by international maritime law, and must be observed by all.”
Lamola said his country had condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran as a violation of international law, just as it had condemned Iran’s attacks on its neighbours.
He expressed disappointment that the negotiations had been abruptly ended over the weekend. In a conflict of this magnitude, he said, it takes time to build trust and engage in dialogue.
Lamola described a blockade as unhelpful, referring to the US announcement that it would stop vessels leaving or travelling to Iranian ports from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Wadephul and Lamola signed a 15-point plan aimed at formally upgrading the cooperation between their countries to a “strategic partnership.”
As part of the plan, Germany pledged to support South Africa with a new climate-related, low-interest loan of €200 million ($235 million). The two countries also agreed to intensify their cooperation in the fields of green hydrogen, battery value chains and critical raw materials, as well as in the production of vaccines.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul (R) and his South African counterpart Ronald Ozzy Lamola speak during a press conference after the meeting of the Binational Commission. Michael Kappeler/dpa
