Chinese, Iranian warships in South Africa for drills as Ramaphosa risks US wrath

Chinese and Iranian naval vessels dock near Simon’s Town as South Africa hosts a Chinese-led BRICS-linked maritime exercise amid renewed US scrutiny. [Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Warships from China and Iran have arrived in South African waters ahead of a multinational naval exercise that is already stirring diplomatic unease, particularly in Washington.

Chinese and Iranian warships have arrived in South African waters ahead of the Will for Peace 2026 naval exercise.
China is leading the drills, which South Africa states are aimed at safeguarding maritime trade routes and boosting cooperation.
The presence of Iran and Russia has raised concerns in Washington, where relations with Pretoria have remained strained.
South Africa’s opposition warns the exercise could undermine the counattempt’s claim of non-alignment and damage its global standing.

The drills, set to run from January 9 to January 16, place Pretoria once again at the centre of global tensions over alignment, neutrality, and its growing engagement with BRICS partners.

China is leading the exercise, dubbed Will for Peace 2026, which the South African National Defence Force states aims to strengthen cooperation and protect key maritime trade routes.

While the military has yet to release a full list of participating countries, the presence of vessels linked to China, Russia, and Iran has been confirmed through official statements and ship sightings.

A Chinese destroyer docked at the Simon’s Town naval base earlier this week. Social media images also displayed a Russian frigate and a supply vessel shifting south along Africa’s west coast towards Cape Town.

On Thursday, January 8, the IRIS Makran, a large Iranian forward base ship that serves as a mobile logistics and command platform, was sighted near Simon’s Town.

L-R: South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump. [Getty Images/AI design] — L-R: South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump. [Getty Images/AI design]

The exercise comes at a sensitive moment for South Africa’s foreign relations. Since US President Donald Trump returned to office nearly a year ago, relations between Pretoria and Washington have been strained.

South Africa’s ties with Iran, along with its broader engagement within the BRICS bloc, have been particular points of contention. Trump has repeatedly accutilized BRICS countries of pursuing policies hostile to American interests.

This is not the first time South Africa’s naval diplomacy has drawn criticism. In 2023, Pretoria faced backlash from the United States and the European Union after hosting BRICS naval drills that coincided with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Domestic opposition parties have also raised concerns. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest party, warned that the inclusion of Russia and Iran undermines the government’s claims of non-alignment.

Its defence spokesperson, Chris Hattingh, declared South Africa’s foreign and defence policy should not be reshaped through military exercises that contradict its stated neutrality and risk damaging its global standing.

South Africa’s foreign minisattempt declined to comment on the drills, referring questions to the defence force. A military briefing is expected to provide further details on the scope and participants of the exercise later this week.

For African and global observers alike, the drills highlight South Africa’s increasingly complex balancing act between strategic partnerships in the Global South and its long-standing economic and diplomatic ties with the West.

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