South Africa Tuesday welcomed the peaceful resolution of the nuclear stand-off among Iran, the US and other world powers.
"South Africa has consistently emphasised the importance of a peaceful resolution to the outstanding questions regarding the nature of the Iranian nuclear programme," reported Xinhua citing Clayson Monyela, the spokesperson for Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRC).
"We therefore welcome the successful conclusion of the negotiations in Geneva between the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, Britain and the US plus Germany) and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which culminated in the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action on 24 November 2013," he added.
Last weekend, Iran agreed to curb some of its nuclear activities in return for about $7 billion in sanctions relief. The deal will last for six months, while a permanent agreement is being sought.
Iran agreed not to enrich uranium above 5 percent for six months and not to expand its enrichment capabilities or to engage in reprocessing of its current uranium stock. The P5+1 will also during that period offer some relief in its sanctions against the Islamic republic.
South Africa maintains that Iran should build the nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in line with the provisions of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT), the spokesperson said.
DIRC also said that the international community should allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to undertake its verification activities in Iran.