Iran was once the biggest oil supplier to South Africa, which boasts the continent's most industrialised economy and was its second-biggest consumer of crude oil, importing some 380,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Read: COAS discusses bilateral defence ties with chief of South African army
"We are definitely negotiating and looking at when to fully resume oil imports from Iran. For South Africa if there's a process of doing that lawfully, tomorrow we will do it, if there are no obstacles to that," deputy foreign minister Nomaindiya Mfeketo told reporters via videolink from Capetown.
Read: Enhancing trade: Business delegation visits South Africa
"It depends on how quick those negotiations are ... so that we can sign on the dotted line."
On July 14, six world powers agreed to lift sanctions in return for Iran accepting long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Tehran has always denied seeking nuclear arms.
A day later, South Africa's government said it had never agreed with sanctions against Iran and that its oil refiners had suffered from a ban on crude exports from there.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ