Washington’s patience with Pretoria is wearing thin. Senior fellow Joshua Meservey of the Hudson Institute warns that the head of South Africa’s defence force, General Rudzani Mphawanya, may have dealt a fresh blow to US–SA relations with his recent trip to Iran and remarks in solidarity with its regime. In conversation with Alec Hogg, Meservey unpacks why the incident - whether sanctioned or not - will deepen mistrust, complicate trade negotiations, and feed growing US frustration over Pretoria’s political choices.