‘No friend of ours’- U.S. furious as South Africa mourns Iran’s leader

A diplomatic row has erupted after U.S. lawmakers slammed South Africa’s president for sending a condolence message to Iran following the death of its Supreme Leader.

The controversy began after the Iranian Embassy in South Africa announced that it had received a condolence letter from Cyril Ramaphosa after the reported “martyrdom” of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Posting on X, the Iranian mission said:

“Iran and South Africa have deep-rooted friendship,” while confirming it had received Ramaphosa’s message of sympathy.

But the gesture quickly sparked outrage in Washington.

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority account fired back sharply, accusing the South African leader of aligning with Tehran.

“No friend of the Ayatollah is a friend of ours,” the committee wrote on X.

The U.S. lawmakers also criticized Ramaphosa for what they described as enjoying American privileges while supporting Iran.

“South Africa’s president is cozying up to the Iranian regime while grandstanding and enjoying American freedom in Chicago,” the post added.

The exchange comes amid rising global tensions following the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump launched a major military operation targeting Iran’s leadership.

The strike killed Khamenei and several senior Iranian figures, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran and sparking widespread geopolitical fallout.

South Africa has historically maintained diplomatic ties with Iran and has often taken positions that differ from Washington on Middle East politics.