Chinese, Russian and Iranian Warships Begin Joint Naval Drills Off South Africa

Chinese, Russian and Iranian warships have arrived in South African waters for a week-long joint naval exercise off the coast of Cape Town, organised under the BRICS framework. The drills focus on maritime safety and anti-piracy operations but have drawn domestic criticism and are expected to further strain South Africa’s relations with the United States.

Chinese, Russian and Iranian warships have arrived in South African waters for a week-long joint naval exercise beginning Friday off the coast of Cape Town, marking another significant show of military cooperation among members of the BRICS bloc.
The drills, led by China and planned last year under the BRICS framework, are intended to strengthen cooperation among participating nations. South Africa’s armed forces said the exercise will focus on maritime safety, search-and-rescue operations and anti-piracy activities, while also providing an opportunity for the navies involved to improve coordination and information-sharing at sea.
China, Russia and South Africa are longstanding members of BRICS, a grouping of developing economies that has expanded in recent years. Iran formally joined the bloc in 2024, further broadening its geopolitical reach. It remains unclear whether other BRICS countries, including Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, will take part in the drills.
A spokesperson for the South African National Defence Force said full details of all participating countries were still being confirmed. The naval exercise is scheduled to run until next Friday.
Warships from the three countries have been observed moving in and out of the harbour at Simon’s Town, which serves as South Africa’s primary naval base. The port is strategically located south of Cape Town at the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, making it a key site for international naval operations.
China’s naval deployment includes the Tangshan, a 161-metre-long destroyer-class vessel. South Africa previously hosted similar joint naval exercises with Chinese and Russian forces in 2023, underscoring a pattern of continued military engagement among the countries.
The drills were initially planned for late November but were postponed for diplomatic reasons. At the time, South Africa was hosting Western and other global leaders for the Group of 20 summit, and the presence of foreign warships was considered diplomatically sensitive.
The latest exercise is expected to further strain relations between South Africa and the United States. Pretoria has faced growing criticism from the Trump administration, despite repeatedly stating that it maintains a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks to remain neutral in global conflicts.
Russia’s military presence in southern Africa has previously contributed to tensions between South Africa and the US. The decision to host both Russian and Iranian warships has also drawn criticism domestically.
The Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in South Africa’s coalition government, said it opposed the drills, arguing that hosting exercises involving heavily sanctioned countries such as Russia and Iran could damage South Africa’s international standing and diplomatic relations.