China, Russia and Iran launch naval exercises off South Africa’s coast

China, Russia and Iran launched a week-long naval drill off South Africa’s main naval base in Simon’s Town, Western Cape.

This is an exercise that Pretoria has framed as a cooperative BRICS Plus initiative, focusing on maritime security and trade protection.

South Africa’s military said the operation, taking place in its territorial waters, aims to safeguard shipping lanes and economic activity at sea.

The manoeuvres come under the banner of BRICS Plus, an expanded grouping that grew out of the original BRICS bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and which members increasingly portray as a counterbalance to Western economic and political influence.

In addition to the original BRICS members, the expanded grouping now includes Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Chinese military officials presiding over the opening ceremony said Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia were taking part as observers.

South Africa’s military described the operation as a practical, capability-building engagement. “Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026 brings together navies from BRICS Plus countries for … joint maritime safety operations (and) interoperability drills,” it said in a statement.

Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, acting spokesperson for joint operations, said all BRICS Plus members had been invited to participate.

The drills unfold against a backdrop of strained relations between Washington and several BRICS Plus countries.

Tensions have sharpened since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to office, with disputes involving China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil adding geopolitical weight to the exercise.

Domestic criticism

The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s governing coalition and traditionally aligned with Western interests, argued that the drills undermine South Africa’s foreign policy posture.

The party said the exercises “contradict our stated neutrality” and accused BRICS of having “rendered South Africa a pawn in the power games being waged by rogue states on the international stage”.

Mathebula dismissed suggestions that the drills signal a political alignment against the United States. “This is not a political arrangement … there is no hostility (towards the U.S.),” she told Reuters, noting that South Africa also conducts naval exercises with the U.S. Navy.

“It’s a naval exercise. The intention is for us to improve our capabilities and share information,” she said.

Trump has previously accused BRICS countries of advancing “anti-American” agendas, and last January threatened member states with an additional 10% trade tariff on top of broader duties imposed globally.

While the cooperative exercise may be a good idea in principle, military expert Helmoed Heitman has said that it is not the greatest move politically.

He argues that naval exercises can be particularly beneficial to navies should they need to cooperate in the case of piracy or a ship sinking. However, he said it is not a great move politically.

“It makes a lot of sense to exercise with the Chinese,” Heitman told Newzroom Afrika. “They’re a growing naval power. We need to be wary that their neighbours, such as India, regard them as a threat.”

“It makes a lot less sense to be exercising with Russia and Iran. They are strategically and economically irrelevant to us and are regarded as bullies by most of their neighbours.”

While the SANDF describes such exercises as routine “Passex” drills for communication, helicopter manoeuvres, and logistical replenishment, the geopolitical optics remain sensitive, particularly with the United States.

Reported with Reuters