Addressing a recent online seminar, which was held in South Africa to mark 31st passing anniversary of Imam, Seyed Hassan Khomeini said:
“Iran's relations with the apartheid regime were severed after the revolution, and this was one of the Imam's strategic decisions made even before the victory of the revolution.”
Imam had already said "if the revolution wins, we will sever ties with the apartheid regime in South Africa.”
"This happened in the early days after the victory of the revolution, and the revolutionary government of Iran expelled the Consul General of South Africa at that time, cut off all political, economic and military ties with the apartheid regime and fully supported their rightful struggles."
The grandson of Imam went onto say that “the history of relations between the two great nations of Iran and South Africa has been marked by the collapse of apartheid and the rise of a non-racial and democratic government over the past 25 years.”
"This is one of the honors of the revolution and the system of the Islamic Republic, and I remember that Nelson Mandela always emphasized and hailed it as good decesion. Despite pressure from major powers, the Iranian people have resolutely and courageously continued to support relations between the two countries."
For me, of course, it was a great honor to have a very cordial and memorable meeting with Mr. Mandela in 1999 during my trip to South Africa, the grandson of Imam said.
"What connects the main issue of commemorating Imam Khomeini in Iran with South Africa is the common goals of the revolutionaries and people of the both countrie," Seyyed Hassan Khomeini concluded by saing.
“These two revolutions for the liberation from the captivity of the imperial regime in Iran and the liberation from the captivity of the apartheid regime in South Africa have taken place.”
At the end, it is appropriate to honor the memory of the Imam and all the martyrs on the path to freedom. And send greetings to the souls of all freedom seekers and express my gratitude to the organizers of this meeting. God bless the two nations of Iran and Africa.
"For Iranians, South Africa is named after Nelson Mandela, the great leader of that country, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the Iranians, like many nations of the world, recognizes him as the great leader."
South African Minister Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor message to "Imam Khomeini Webinar, Nelson Mandela, Great Leaders for All Times" As follows:
"I am proud to express my views and those of the people and government of the Republic of South Africa on the anniversary of Imam Khomeini's passing and departure"
Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini, better known as Imam Khomeini, passed away on June 3, 1989 at the age of 87.
As an anti-imperialist icon, he devoted his life to standing up to Iran's former Pahlavi monarchy, a key ally of the United States, and eventually paved the way for the regime’s downfall in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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