China, Russia and Iran have begun a week of joint naval exercises in South African waters after receiving permission from the South African government to use its ports and coastal zones. The drills, called Exercise Will for Peace 2026, are being run as a BRICS Plus operation and include warships from China, Russia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, with other BRICS members taking part as observers. Chinese and Iranian destroyers, Russian and Emirati corvettes and a South African frigate are all involved in the maneuvers.
South Africa says the goal is to ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities. But the presence of three of the most hostile powers to the United States operating together so close to major African trade routes sends a much stronger message than simple safety patrols.
What BRICS Plus Means in This Context
BRICS began as a trade and development bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It has now expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. Members describe it as a counterweight to what they see as U.S. and Western economic dominance.
By labeling these drills a BRICS Plus exercise, China, Russia and Iran are tying military cooperation directly to this economic bloc. That is a major shift. BRICS was created to promote trade, finance and development outside Western systems. Now it is being used as a framework for coordinated naval operations among states that are openly in conflict with U.S. power.
China’s defense ministry said the exercises include joint operations to safeguard vital shipping lanes and economic activities. The drills will include strikes on maritime targets and counter terrorism rescue operations. South African military officials said the goal is to improve joint maritime safety operations and interoperability between the navies.
China and Iran sent destroyer warships, Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvettes and South Africa deployed a frigate. Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia are participating as observers. South Africa says all BRICS Plus members were invited.
Why Now?
The exercises come at a moment of rising tension between the Trump administration and several BRICS Plus countries, including China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil. Trump has accused BRICS nations of pursuing anti American policies and has warned that members could face an extra 10 percent trade tariff on top of existing duties.
The drills also follow U.S. action against a Venezuela linked Russian oil tanker, which Washington seized for violating Western sanctions. That incident has added to already high friction between the United States and Russia and its partners.
South African officials say the timing is coincidental and that the drills were planned long before the current spike in global tensions. Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said countries should not press panic buttons just because the United States has problems with some BRICS members.
A Direct Challenge to South Africa’s Claimed Neutrality
South Africa insists the exercises are not political. Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula said there is no hostility toward the United States and pointed out that South Africa also conducts drills with the U.S. Navy.
But not everyone in South Africa agrees. The pro Western Democratic Alliance, the second largest party in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s coalition, said the exercises contradict the country’s stated neutrality and that BRICS has rendered South Africa a pawn in the power games being waged by rogue states on the international stage.
Allowing Chinese, Russian and Iranian warships to train together in South African waters, especially during a period of intense confrontation with the United States, makes neutrality hard to believe. It places South Africa physically and politically in the middle of a growing global power struggle.
A Dangerous Shift From Trade Bloc to Military Signal
These drills show how BRICS is being stretched far beyond its original mission. What was supposed to be a trade and development grouping is now being used as a banner under which hostile powers coordinate military operations in one of the world’s most strategic maritime regions.
The waters off South Africa sit between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and are vital for global shipping, energy transport and access to Africa. A permanent or recurring military presence by China, Russia and Iran in this region would give them leverage over trade routes and African governments, especially during times of conflict or instability.
If China, Russia and Iran can normalize joint naval operations in African waters under the BRICS label, they gain the ability to project power far from their own shores. In a crisis, that presence could severely limit U.S. freedom of movement and influence in the region.
ACZ Editor: This was likely the primary goal of BRICS in the first place, not a trade bloc but an organization to challenge NATO.