South Africa Hosts BRICS Naval Drillwith Iran, China, and Russia
South Africa Hosts BRICS Naval Drillwith Iran, China, and Russia
Warships from some members of the BRICS group of developing nations gathered in Cape Town waters for a naval exercise that places host South Africa at risk of renewed US ire.
China will lead the Will for Peace 2026 drill, which runs from Jan. 9 to Jan. 16 and will showcase the participants’ collective commitment to safeguard maritime trade routes “and deepen cooperation in support of peaceful maritime security,” the South African National Defence Force said in a statement.
A Chinese destroyer docked in the Simon’s Town naval base on Wednesday, while pictures on social media this week showed a Russian frigate and a supply vessel making their way down Africa’s west coast toward the harbor. The IRIS Makran, a massive Iranian forward base ship that serves as a floating logistics hub and operational command center, was sighted near Simon’s Town on Thursday afternoon.
South Africa has been at loggerheads with the US since President Donald Trump returned to the White House almost a year ago. Its ties to Iran are among the issues that have elicited anger in Washington and the drill is likely to ignite further tension.
Pretoria drew criticism from the US and the European Union when it last hosted a BRICS naval exercise in 2023 that coincided with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
