Tehran — Following coordinated military strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure by the United States and Israel, Iran has engaged in high-level defense discussions with Russia and China, intensifying calls for a joint international stance against Western military provocations in West Asia.
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh held strategic consultations with South African Defense Minister Angie Motshekga on bolstering multilateral resistance against “unilateral aggression,” following Israel’s 12-day military campaign targeting Tehran’s nuclear, military, and civilian infrastructure.
The strikes, initiated on June 13 by Israel and followed by US air raids on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22, have been described by Iranian officials as blatant violations of international law. According to Iranian defense sources, Tel Aviv’s attacks were unprecedented in scale, while Washington’s involvement marked a dangerous escalation into direct confrontation.
Iran responded through Operation True Promise III, during which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched 22 missile waves on Israeli-occupied territories, reportedly causing severe infrastructural damage. The retaliatory campaign extended beyond Israel, as Iran struck al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the region, with a barrage of precision missiles, signaling that Tehran considers Washington’s involvement as an act of war.
A ceasefire brokered on June 24, reportedly mediated via backchannels through neutral states, halted further escalation, but Tehran maintains full military readiness. As reported by Mehr News Agency, Iran’s military leadership stated that the country’s retaliatory capability remains intact and “on alert” for future provocations.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s government has amplified its opposition to what it labels the West’s “imperialist overreach.” Pretoria, already a vocal backer of Palestine and a key legal challenger to Israel at the International Court of Justice, is now reportedly pushing for a BRICS emergency summit on Western militarization and the weaponization of international law.
The confrontation arrives at a volatile moment. As the US continues expanding its military footprint across the Persian Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean, Iran, Russia, and China appear increasingly aligned in what they view as a post-American multipolar reordering. This coalition’s next steps may determine whether the current fragile ceasefire holds, or collapses under the pressure of another geopolitical rupture.
For now, Tehran’s message to the West is unmistakably clear: any further attack will not go unanswered, and any illusion of asymmetric impunity has evaporated.
