Iran pulls out of SA’s joint naval exercise amid political tensions

Iran has withdrawn from the joint naval exercise about to start in False Bay. The Iranian Navy sent three warships to False Bay last week, but it is understood that they will not participate in the naval drills.

Sources have confirmed that a decision has been made for the Iranian ships not to 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 exercise Will for Peace 2026. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has billed it as a joint exercise of the BRICS+ forum of 10 countries.

However, most of the 10 nations are not participating, or if they are, are doing so only in part. Last week, two Chinese, two Russian, three Iranian and one Emirati warship arrived in False Bay. So far, the participating countries have only held a parade on shore and conducted planning.

They were scheduled to set sail on Monday or Tuesday for the exercise at sea, which will include live firing as well as the coordination of other maritime operations.

Read more: Ukrainian Association protests in Simon’s Town against Russian navy’s participation in Will for Peace

There have been reports that Pretoria urged Iran to withdraw from the exercise to avoid antagonising the US in particular, at a sensitive time when the Iranian government is violently suppressing protests at home, and the US House of Representatives is scheduled this week to debate a three-year renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).

The legislation, which gives eligible African countries duty-free access to the US market for most of their exports, lapsed in September, but Congress has decided to revive it. It has been particularly useful for SA over the last 25 years, but there are concerns that SA might be excluded, in part because of its friendly relations with Iran, China and Russia.

Read more: US Congress moves to revive Agoa, but SA’s continued participation is in doubt

A South African government source insisted to Daily Maverick that the decision for Iran to withdraw from the naval exercise had been taken before the protests erupted in Iran and before South Africa knew that the discussion about the Agoa renewal would take place this week. The source said the decision for Iran to pull out “was done in discussions with the different ministries of defence, including Iran”.

The Iranian Navy sent the corvette IRIS Naghdi (No 82), the huge forward base ship IRIS Makran (No 441), and the expeditionary base ship IRIS Shahid Mahdavi (No 110-3) to False Bay last week to participate in the exercise.

China’s guided missile destroyer Tangshan (No 122) and replenishment ship Taihu (No 889), the Russian corvette Stoikiy (No 545) and oil tanker Yelnya, the Emirati corvette Bani Yas (No P110), and the South African Navy’s frigate SAS Amatola are also in Simon’s Town or in False Bay to take part in the exercise, which will be led by China.

It is not clear if the Iranian ships will remain in harbour or in False Bay while the other ships go out to sea to conduct the exercises.

The SANDF said on Friday, “The exercise is designed to advance strategic objectives, including: strengthening of multilateral naval partnerships, enhancement of collective maritime security capabilities and promotion of mutual understanding among participating states.

“The SANDF welcomes the presence of partner navies and anticipates that the exercise will yield substantive outcomes in both operational proficiency and diplomatic engagement.”

Agoa extension

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives announced last week that a Bill to extend Agoa through the end of 2028, which the House Ways and Means Committee approved last month, was set for consideration during the week of 12 January “under the suspension of the rules”. Suspension of the rules allows a Bill to move more quickly, with limited floor debate and no amendments allowed; passage in the House would require a two-thirds majority.

Though Agoa has widespread support in Congress, it is not clear if a stand-alone Bill can be passed by the House and the Senate. The Bill might have to be attached to wider legislation, such as a Bill to keep the government open. And the Trump administration has so far only expressed support for a one-year renewal while changes to the Bill are discussed.

Some members of Congress want South Africa to be excluded from the renewal of Agoa, and the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, told the US Senate last month that the Trump administration was ready to consider that. It is, however, possible that the Bill could be passed with no country excluded and that South Africa would then later face an “out of cycle” review of its participation. DM