South Africa Hosts Naval Drills as Ties With US Remain Strained
Staff Writer
– January 10, 2026
3 min read
South Africa has just commenced a new round of multinational naval exercises with China, Russia, and Iran, a move that again places Pretoria’s foreign and defence policy choices under scrutiny in Washington.
The drills, which began yesterday and will run until Friday, in South African waters, involve the South African Navy alongside vessels from China, Russia, and Iran. The exercise is called “Will for Peace 2026”.
The South African Department of Defence said the exercise’s theme is “Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Shipping and Maritime Economic Activities”, arguing that co-operation at sea is necessary to protect trade routes and improve co-ordination in areas such as search-and-rescue and maritime patrols. South Africa has consistently framed such drills as routine engagements, consistent with its non-aligned foreign policy posture, and its interest in safeguarding sea lines that are vital to the economy.
Iranian officials have presented their participation in more explicitly strategic terms. A newspaper with close ties to the religious establishment in Iran, the Tehran Times, quoted Iranian navy commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani as saying, “In line with the implementation of the Leader’s [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's theocratic dictator] instructions and boosting defense and marine diplomacy, Flotilla 103 [the Iranian naval group sent to South Africa] is to take part in the BRICS military exercises.”
The exercises come against the backdrop of elevated tension between South Africa and the United States (US). After a naval exercise with China and Russia in 2023, members of the US House of Representatives introduced a resolution calling for a review of US-South Africa relations. It explicitly urged South Africa to cancel future military exercises with China and Russia, while encouraging Pretoria to participate instead in US-led drills. Although the resolution did not become law, it remains a clear signal of congressional concern about South Africa’s growing military engagement with US strategic rivals.
