While quick to accuse Israel, South Africa’s is silent when close associate, Iran, commits ‘Crimes Against Humanity’.
By Peter Bailey
The current war against Iran is being waged to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons and increasingly powerful ballistic missiles capable of threatening Europe and America, while also manufacturing drones capable of wreaking havoc on geographically closer targets. The U.S. and Israel are thus attacking nuclear facilities, missile storage centres and missile launchers, as well the numerous factories manufacturing these weapons and accessories. Prior to hostilities breaking out, Iran had threatened to retaliate with attacks on U.S. military bases in the Gulf States of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
The outbreak of the war saw the U.S. and Israel target leading figures within the political and military leadership of Iran, eliminating many of them, while also attacking numerous strategic military targets. Intensive missile and drone attacks against Israel and the U.S. military bases in the Gulf States were expected and prepared for, and indeed have been taking place ever since the outbreak of hostilities. Iran has treated the Geneva Conventions for the conduct of war with scant disregard by indiscriminately attacking civilian populations in Israel and the Gulf States. Civilian casualties in Iran have in the meanwhile been minimal in view of the intensity of the attacks on the country.
Israel and the Gulf States have faced a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting civilian population areas with cluster or fragmentation missiles. These missiles release a large number of small bombs which rain down on a wide area, exploding as they land, with the intent of causing maximum property damage and death. Israel’s military installations certainly qualify as legitimate Iranian targets, but civilian population areas most definitely do not fall into that category. Similarly, U.S. military bases in the Gulf States could be considered legitimate Iranian targets, but civilians and infrastructure in those states should definitely not be deliberately targeted as has been the case. While I don’t have proof, it would appear that many, if not all, the cluster bombs are not merely of the explosive variety designed to cause damage, but are in fact incendiary bombs, as spontaneous fires have been breaking out immediately after impact.
All this brings me to South Africa, the bombastic self-appointed global defender of human rights, that saw fit, under questionable circumstances, to bring spurious charges of Genocide and other human rights abuse crimes against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. This world’s self-appointed human rights defender has inexplicably consistently remained silent with regard to breaches of the Geneva Conventions by Iran and its proxies.
Following the 7 October 2023 murderous invasion of Israel by Hamas, South Africa had lost no time in expressing its admiration and support for Hamas’ action in a telephone call to the Hamas leadership by Naledi Pandor, International Affairs Minister at the time. On 22 October 2023, Pandor was in Iran on “official business”, with the subsequent press handout following her meeting with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, advising that Pandor had emphasised South Africa’s stance of non interference, while expressing support for Palestinian aspirations. She had further emphasised the importance of the adherence to International Humanitarian and Human Rights laws.
Speculation at the time was that she had received instructions and a large donation to the governing African National Congress (ANC) in return for opening a case against Israel at the ICJ. Two months later, on 29 December 2023, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel at the ICJ. Israel Defence Force ground forces invaded Gaza on 28 October 2023, with the timeline of South Africa’s submission suggesting that the papers were being prepared before Israel’s invasion of Gaza. This leaves unanswered questions with regard to its motives and also when South Africa decided to advance the charges, in all probability immediately after Pandor’s visit to Iran, before Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The launching of missiles by Iran, most of which are directed at civilian areas causing loss of life, injuries and property damage constitutes a Crime Against Humanity. Adding insult to injury, while committing Crimes Against Humanity, Iran has been firing missiles carrying a payload of cluster munitions, which means that up 30 or more smaller projectiles, each carrying an explosive charge are released in the upper atmosphere, or alternatively released if the missile is intercepted by anti-missile fire. An AI overview advises that cluster munitions are canisters that open in mid-air, dispersing numerous smaller explosive submunitions or “bomblets” over a wide area. This design is intended to destroy dispersed targets such as armored vehicles or airfield runways. The use of these munitions against civilian targets by Iran is considered a Crime Against Humanity, a blatant and flagrant breach of the Geneva Conventions.
The opening paragraph of the Convention on Cluster Munitions reads as follows:
The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) prohibits under any circumstances the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions, as well as the assistance or encouragement of anyone to engage in prohibited activities. The text of the Convention is available for download in the six official UN languages.
Despite the fact that Iran is a signatory to the relevant Geneva Conventions in respect of Crimes Against Humanity, this item in Israel’s YNet Breaking News dated 18/03/2026 02:45, highlights Iran’s open admission of launching cluster munitions directed at civilian populations, in defiance of the Conventions.
Iran: ‘We fired at Tel Aviv in revenge for Larijani’s assassination’
Iran claimed that the heavy fire at the center (of Israel) was carried out in revenge for the assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. This was reported on Iranian state television, which noted that ‘cluster bombs were fired at Tel Aviv.’
One result of this particular incident was the death of a disabled couple, both in their seventies, who never made it to a safe area in time, and were killed by a direct strike on a residential building by a cluster bomb. The news item below refers to the attack.
Israel Live News
“Ramat Gan cluster hit:
Footage from the apartment of the couple killed overnight in Ramat Gan shows the damage from a direct hit by a cluster bomb.
A cluster bomb breaks apart in the air and scatters smaller explosives over a wide area, making it one of the most dangerous weapons for civilians”.
South Africa’s inaction in not opening an ICJ case against Iran for this deadly breach speaks volumes, leaving little doubt as to the hypocrisy and double standards of the South African government and which guide its actions. Adding to the gravity and breach of international law, the cluster munitions are possibly also incendiary, causing fires to break out where they strike. The AI Overview on incendiary weapons reads as follows:
The use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law (IHL). These weapons, designed to cause burn injuries or set fire to objects through chemical reactions (such as napalm, white phosphorus, and thermite), are considered excessively injurious and often indiscriminate, particularly when used in populated areas.
The magnitude of the breaches of numerous laws governing human rights, as well as the breaches of the Geneva Conventions on prohibited munitions, should gravely concern any country that claims to be the leading global defender of human rights. On the contrary, rather than filing legal papers charging Iran with gross violations of the Geneva Conventions and equally grave breaches of United Nations Human Rights Laws, South Africa expresses support for Iran, as shown by the following excerpt from a statement by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO):
“South Africa has previously condemned the unlawful attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States, which violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter prohibiting the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. These principles are fundamental to the international rules‑based order and must be upheld by all Member States.” Click on the link below to read the full statement:
Noteworthy about this statement is the absence of any reference to the Hamas invasion of Israel on 7 October 2023, which set off the chain of events that have followed since that date.
Readers are reminded that Iran is the country that has for many years provided extensive funding and arming of the terrorists of its so-called axis of resistance, notably:
– Hamas in Gaza
– Hezbollah in Lebanon
-the Houthis in Yemen
– as well as numerous terror groups in Syria and Iraq.
Iran itself has been making threats of annihilation against Israel and the U.S. for the 47 years of the existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Readers are also reminded that the current war against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas began with the Hamas invasion of Israel on 7 October 2023. An invasion that was carried out with indescribable cruelty and lack of regard for human life and dignity, that killed over 1,200 innocent Israelis, Jews and Arabs alike, while others were maimed, raped and tortured, with over 230 taken to Gaza as hostages, all in the space of a few hours. Bearing in mind Iran’s background role in funding and arming these terrorists, it is absolutely disgraceful and impertinent of South Africa to accuse the U.S. and Israel of breaching U.N. laws by commencing military action against Iran. Iran sits at the apex of its self-created axis of resistance, better described as an axis of evil terrorism, while South Africa insults the memories of the untold numbers of victims drawn from all walks of life, all nationalities and all religions, murdered, maimed or tortured by Iran and its proxies.
About the writer:
The writer, Peter Bailey, a military history buff, was a Major in the South African Army Reserve before making aliyah in 2013. He has conducted intensive research into the Jewish contribution to South Africa’s military history, writing many papers and lecturing on the subject. He is the author of two published books, Street Names in Israel and Men of Valor, Israel’s Latter Day Heroes.
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