China, Russia and Iran Launch BRICS Plus Naval Exercise in South African Waters

China, Russia and Iran have begun a week-long joint naval exercise in South African waters under the BRICS Plus framework, aimed at enhancing maritime security and cooperation. The drills come amid geopolitical tensions with the United States but South Africa says the exercise is non-political and focused on improving naval capabilities.

China, Russia and Iran on Saturday commenced a week-long joint naval exercise in South African waters, an operation that South Africa’s military described as a BRICS Plus initiative aimed at ensuring the safety of international shipping routes and safeguarding maritime economic activities.
The drills are being held under the framework of BRICS Plus, an expanded geopolitical grouping that originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc, which its members regard as a counterweight to United States and Western economic dominance, has since grown to include six additional countries.
Although South Africa has a history of conducting naval exercises with both China and Russia, the latest drills come at a sensitive time marked by heightened diplomatic tensions between the administration of US President Donald Trump and several BRICS Plus members. Countries facing strained relations with Washington include China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil.
The expanded BRICS Plus group now also includes Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Chinese military officials who led the opening ceremony of the exercise said that Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia were participating as observers, underscoring the broader interest of member states in the operation.
In a statement, South Africa’s military said the exercise, code-named WILL FOR PEACE 2026, brings together navies from BRICS Plus countries to conduct joint maritime safety operations, improve coordination, and carry out interoperability drills designed to enhance cooperation among participating forces.
Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, the acting spokesperson for joint operations, told Reuters that all members of the BRICS Plus grouping had been invited to take part in the naval exercise, highlighting its inclusive nature within the bloc.
The drills have drawn criticism from some political quarters in South Africa. President Trump has previously accused BRICS nations of pursuing what he described as “anti-American” policies and, in January, threatened to impose an additional 10 percent trade tariff on all BRICS members, on top of existing duties already being applied to countries around the world.
Domestically, South Africa’s Democratic Alliance party, the second-largest party in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s coalition government, criticised the exercises, saying they contradicted the country’s stated position of neutrality in global conflicts. The party further argued that BRICS had turned South Africa into a pawn in what it described as power struggles involving rogue states on the international stage.
Mathebula rejected the criticism, insisting that the naval drills were not politically driven. She stressed that the exercise should be viewed purely from a military and professional standpoint, noting that South Africa also periodically conducts naval exercises with the United States Navy.
“This is not a political arrangement. There is no hostility,” Mathebula said. “It’s a naval exercise. The intention is for us to improve our capabilities and share information,” she added, emphasising that such drills are standard practice aimed at strengthening maritime security cooperation.