CAPE TOWN, Jan 16: South Africa launched an investigation today over the participation of Iranian warships in naval drills off its coast after reports that organisers ignored the president’s instructions that the ships only take up observer status so as not to inflame tensions with the United States.
The investigation announced by the Defence Ministry came a day after the US criticised South Africa’s move to host Iranian ships off the coast of Cape Town this week for joint drills that also included the Chinese, Russian and United Arab Emirates navies.
In a statement posted on X, the US Embassy in South Africa said it was “unconscionable that South Africa welcomed Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing, and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity” — a reference to the ongoing protests in Iran and a bloody crackdown by authorities that has killed more than 2,600 people, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The US Embassy said it had noted with concern reports in the South African media that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instruction that Iran only have observer status in the drills may have been flouted by South Africa’s Defence Ministry or its military officials.
The Trump administration has been critical of South Africa over its diplomatic ties with Iran, citing them as an example of South Africa taking what it called an anti-American stance in its foreign policy. South Africa says it follows a neutral, non-aligned foreign policy and is open to diplomatic discussions with Iran.
It’s not clear what Ramaphosa ordered over the drills. The president hasn’t commented on the issue, and his spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The Defence Ministry said in its statement that Defence Minister Angie Motshekga ensured Ramaphosa’s instructions were “clearly communicated to all parties concerned” without detailing what they were. The investigation would find out if Ramaphosa’s instructions were “misrepresented and/or ignored,” the Defence Ministry said.
The South African armed forces said Iran sent two warships to take part in the drills, while the AP saw a third Iranian warship anchored in a harbour in Simon’s Town, near Cape Town alongside Chinese and Russian warships.
The drills, which were due to end Friday, were led by China and organised under the BRICS bloc of developing nations. South Africa, China and Russia are longtime members of the bloc, while Iran joined in 2024 and this week’s naval drills were its first with BRICS.
The expanding BRICS group was created as a counter to perceived US and Western dominance of the global economy and international institutions and has often been used by China and Russia as a forum to criticise the West.
South Africa’s ties with the US have plummeted since US President Donald Trump returned to office, with his administration also making baseless claims that South Africa’s government is allowing the violent persecution of its white minority Afrikaner people in order to seize their land. (AP)
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