Iran set to withdraw from SA navy drills amid US pressure: report
The Chinese lead Will For Peace 2026 exercise 2026 brings together navies from BRICS Plus countries for joint maritime safety operations.
Image: AFP
South Africa’s joint naval exercise with Russia, China and Iran has put the country in a compromising situation amid ailing relations with the United States, which sees these nations as adversaries.
However, it appears that the government has now bowed to that pressure.
A “well-placed” source within government has reportedly confirmed to SABC News that South Africa has asked Iran to withdraw from these BRICS naval drills, which got underway over the weekend.
This comes just as the US House of Representatives has approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides many sub-Saharan countries with duty-free access to the US market.
While the US House voted overwhelmingly in favour of the extension, it remains to be seen whether South Africa’s participation will be continued, given the ongoing diplomatic tensions with Washington.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch said South Africa’s military ties with US adversaries such as Iran raised questions about the country’s eligibility under AGOA.
On Saturday, South Africa’s joint taskforce commander, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, labelled the ‘Will for Peace 2026’ naval drills off the coast of Simon’s Town as essential.
"In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option; it is essential," Thamaha stated.
He said the exercises were to "ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities".
South Africa has conducted such exercises with Russia and China since 2019; however, the inclusion of Iran is particularly controversial for US relations, given the latest international developments.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on any country doing business with Iran, following a crackdown on protests in that country that reportedly killed 648 people.
"This Order is final and conclusive," he wrote, albeit without specifying which countries the order might affect.
Defence analyst Helmoed Heitman has previously warned that South Africa’s ties with Iran and Russia could be problematic for South Africa as both countries are “irrelevant to us economically and strategically”, while the US remains an important trade partner.
International relations expert Prof John Stremlau said he feared the naval exercise would play into Trump’s hands.
“He is a ‘multipolar’ guy, it seems to me. He moved against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and will now try him in New York for (the) drug deal, while pardoning another Latin former president serving a 45-year sentence for committing the crime of supporting narcotics smuggling into the US,” Stremlau said.
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