The naval exercise comes amid heightened tensions following the US military intervention in Venezuela and the seizure of several oil tankers.
Published January 9, 2026
Warships from China, Russia and Iran have arrived in South African waters for a week of naval exercises, amid heightened geopolitical tensions over the US military intervention in Venezuela and the seizure of several oil tankers.
China’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Friday that the exercise, scheduled to begin with an opening ceremony on Saturday, was a “joint operation to protect critical shipping lanes and economic activities.”
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Attacks on maritime targets and “counter-terrorism” rescues will also be part of the training.
Ships from China, Russia and Iran were seen entering and exiting the port, which is home to South Africa’s largest naval base in Simon’s Town, south of Cape Town, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.
It was not immediately clear whether other countries in the BRICS group, which also includes Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, would take part in the exercise.
A South African military spokesperson said it was not yet able to confirm all the countries taking part in the exercise, which is expected to run until next Friday.
The South African Defense Force said the event will enable the navies to “exchange best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, which will contribute to maritime security and maritime stability across the region.”
The exercise comes amid heightened tensions after U.S. forces attacked Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Saturday and abducted the country’s President Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has also seized Venezuelan-linked oil tankers in international waters, including a Russian-flagged vessel that Washington said violated U.S. sanctions in the North Atlantic.
The seizure drew condemnation from Moscow, with Russian authorities describing the incident as a violation of international maritime law.
But President Trump rejected international law in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, saying only his “own sense of morality” can rein in his administration’s aggressive policies.
The US government has also threatened to take action against Tehran over Iranian authorities’ recent crackdown on mass demonstrations in the country.
The BRICS joint naval exercises are expected to further strain relations between the United States and South Africa, which have been the subject of particular criticism by the Trump administration.
The exercise was originally scheduled for November last year, but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts with the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Asked about the timing of the event, South Africa’s Deputy Defense Minister Bantu Holomisa said it had been planned long before the tensions we are witnessing today occurred.
“The United States has problems with other countries, so let’s not press the panic button,” Holomisa said. “They are not our enemies.”
South Africa’s willingness to accept Russian and Iranian warships has been criticized domestically, with the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the ruling coalition, saying it is opposed.
“Calling these exercises ‘BRICS cooperation’ is a political trick to gloss over what is actually happening, with governments opting for closer military ties with rogue and sanctioned states such as Russia and Iran,” the party said.
