Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of international relations Rodney Cloete has called for de-escalation and diplomacy in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.
The strikes reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other national and military leaders and civilians on Saturday.
Cloete says all involved parties must put civilian lives and international humanitarian law above retaliation.
He is calling for restraint and the avoidance of actions that would widen the crisis and harm more countries and communities.
“We call for urgent, credible mediation through multilateral channels, including the United Nations and the African Union, because dialogue remains the only exit that does not bury more civilians,” he says.
Cloete is calling for the protection of commercial shipping and freedom of navigation, adding that when sea lanes “burn”, ordinary people pay the price in fuel and food.
Cloete says insurance premiums will rise, vessels will reroute, delivery times will be stretched, and freight costs will climb.
Namibia then imports the pressure into the cost of living through transport, food, and energy prices, he says.
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