NEW DELHI — South Africa’s legal delegation has expressed readiness to cooperate with Iran in using international legal capacities to pursue crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran.
The offer was made during a meeting between Hassan Abdalianpour, head of Iran’s Center of Lawyers, Official Experts and Family Advisors of the Judiciary, and the South African legal delegation on the sidelines of the 11th BRICS Legal Forum 2026 in New Delhi.
Abdalianpour stressed the need to operationalize previous agreements between the two sides and called for implementation of a joint memorandum of understanding reached at earlier meetings. 
He also emphasized using the legal capacities of Iran and South Africa to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Referring to war crimes and human rights violations committed by the United States and Israel during two wars against Iran, Abdalianpour called for cooperation with South African lawyers and the use of international courts and legal institutions to pursue the cases.
He praised the South African people and government for their support for Iran during the country’s third imposed war, as well as statements by South African legal experts following the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and their condemnation of the aggression.
Abdalianpour also described South Africa’s position on the Palestinian
 case as an expression of the awakened conscience of free-minded lawyers, saying efforts to prosecute Israeli leaders responsible for crimes would keep the spirit of justice alive among world public opinion.
He stressed the importance of legal diplomacy between Iran and BRICS members and called for the necessary permits and arrangements to conclude and implement new legal agreements between Iran and South Africa.
The South African delegation, for its part, expressed readiness to implement existing agreements and expand legal cooperation with Iran.
Machini Motloung, president of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL), emphasized his country’s support for the Iranian people and condemnation of actions and aggression against Iran, describing them as contrary to the principles and norms of international law.
“We admire the courage and resistance of the Iranian people against the superpowers, especially their steadfastness in the recent war, and we support you, because Iran is the only country that has stood firmly against aggressors and bullies and continues to do so,” he said.
He said South African lawyers are ready to use their legal capacities to support the Iranian people and stressed the importance of pursuing relevant cases before international bodies, including international courts.
The two sides also discussed joint programs, exchanges among lawyers, professors and students, and the establishment of a joint Iran-South Africa legal committee to follow up on agreements and identify new areas of cooperation.