A defence analyst says the impact of Iran’s withdrawal from the joint naval exercise set to begin in False Bay, in the Western Cape, shows that South Africa is bowing to international pressure, warning that conducting exercises with China, Russia and Iran carries political costs.
Iran out
Last week, the Iranian Navy sent three warships to False Bay, but it is understood that they will not participate in the naval drills.
South Africa is currently participating in a major international naval exercise with China, Russia and, expectedly, Iran this week.
According to reports, a decision was made not to have the Iranian ships join the South African, Russian, Chinese and Emirati warships when they sail out to sea this week to conduct joint operations as part of the Will for Peace 2026 exercise.
‘An aggressor and a bully’
Speaking to The Citizen, Helmoed-Römer Heitman said the inclusion of Iran, China and Russia risks damaging relations with key trading partners in Europe and the United States (US).
Heitman said while South Africa will feel the impact of exercising with Iran, Iran will not feel the pinch.
“They wanted to make the political point that they had a friend somewhere. There’s nobody in their region who likes them. You know, the Saudi, Oman, UAE, maybe Qatar and Kuwait. They all regard Iran as an aggressor and a bully.
“Then, of course, America and Europe don’t much like Iran. So for them, it was a political thing. You know, there’s somebody in the world who likes us and will welcome us and hug us, and whatever they’ve achieved, whether they participate or not,” Heitman said.
‘Damage has been done’
Heitman said for South Africa, the “damage has been done”.
“From a South African point of view, that old novel phrase ‘too late she cried’, the damage was done when the Iranians arrived here. It’s too late now, as far as opinion in America, and maybe Europe, is concerned. It just painted us in that corner with Iran and the others.
“I’m not sure there’s much we can do about that, short of very publicly saying ‘we disagree with what Iran is doing in various places, including internally at the moment. So, I think for us, the Iranian withdrawal is a little bit too late; the damage has been done,” Heitman said.
Russia and China
Heitman said the exercise with China and Russia does not “make sense”.
“The name of the exercise, ‘Wills for Peace’, is ludicrous. Russia has invaded Ukraine, Iran is doing all sorts of things in the Gulf and the Red Sea. China is busy bullying all its neighbours in the South China Sea. So, there’s no will for peace upon any of those three countries; that’s a joke.”
Heitman said that while cooperation with China was strategically sensible, Russia was economically and strategically irrelevant to South Africa, arguing that its inclusion risks damaging relations with key trading partners in Europe and the US.
“So we are offending, you know, antagonising our most important trading partners, to curry favour with two countries that are irrelevant to us, that are regarded as bullies by all their neighbours, it makes no sense at all.”
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‘Wills for Peace’
The week‑long “Will for Peace 2026” exercises come just days after the United States (US) seized a Russian‑flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it carried crude bound for Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of Western sanctions.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) billed it as a joint exercise of the Brics+ forum of 10 countries.
Brics, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, more recently, Indonesia.
The drills led by China were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the Brics group of emerging nations, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint taskforce commander, told the opening ceremony.
“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together.”
China and Iran deployed destroyer warships, while Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), sent corvette vessels, and South Africa dispatched a frigate.
Previously known as Exercise Mosi, the drills were initially scheduled for last November but postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg, which the US boycotted.
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Tensions
Tensions between the US and South Africa have been simmering since 2025.
In April 2025, US Congressman and Republican Ronny Jackson introduced the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act, which provides tools to impose sanctions on “corrupt South African government officials” who support America’s adversaries, such as China, Russia and Iran.
The bill came as relations between the US and South Africa were at an all-time low after Trump cut financial aid to South Africa, citing Pretoria taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and “strengthening ties with Iran, which supports terrorism globally”.
Naval drills
Jackson introduced the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which mandates a full review of the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa.
South Africa drew criticism for hosting naval drills with Russia and China in 2023, coinciding with the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The three nations first conducted joint naval drills in 2019.
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