Russia, China and Iran Launch Joint Naval Drills with South Africa
Edited By: Tendai Zola
Naval forces from Russia, China and Iran have launched joint maritime exercises with South Africa off the coast of Cape Town, marking the start of a week-long military drill involving members of the expanded BRICS Plus group.
The exercises began on Friday and are scheduled to run until January 16. A Russian warship joined Chinese and Iranian vessels in South African waters, with additional countries expected to take part. According to South African authorities, the drills are aimed at enhancing maritime security, ensuring safe navigation and strengthening cooperation in counter-piracy operations.
The BRICS group originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, before expanding to incorporate Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, Indonesia, under the broader BRICS Plus framework.
The South African military, which is hosting the exercises led by China under the banner “Will for Peace”, said the maneuvers focus on joint measures to secure maritime transport routes. Training activities include maritime safety procedures, anti-piracy operations and coordination between participating navies.
South Africa’s Defence Ministry sought to downplay geopolitical interpretations of the drills. Ministry spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the exercises had been planned since last year and were postponed due to the timing of the G20 summit held in Johannesburg. He denied any link between the naval maneuvers and recent developments in Venezuela.
Officials added that the postponement was partly intended to reassure the United States, which did not attend the first G20 summit ever held on African soil.
Despite these assurances, the exercises come amid growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria. Although Russia, China and South Africa first conducted joint naval drills in 2019, the current maneuvers are likely to revive U.S. concerns over South Africa’s increasingly close ties with Moscow and Beijing.
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously accused BRICS countries of pursuing policies hostile to American interests. South Africa has also drawn criticism from Washington over several foreign policy positions, including its legal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.
