US Accuses South Africa of Aligning with Iran Amid Naval Exercises

Fri Jan 16 2026 22:22:32 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The US government has raised concerns over South Africa's military conducting naval exercises with Iranian forces, leading to accusations of the country undermining its own democratic values.

The United States has criticized South Africa for allegedly ignoring government orders to send Iranian warships home during naval drills. The US describes this as a failure of South Africa's commitment to human rights and justice, particularly as protests against the Iranian regime are escalating back home. The South African defense ministry has stated it will investigate the allegations. This situation comes amidst a broader geopolitical context of military cooperation among BRICS+ nations, including Iran.

The US has accused South Africa's defence ministry of refusing to obey orders from its own government to send home Iranian warships that have been conducting naval exercises in the African country's waters.

South Africa can't lecture the world on 'justice' while cozying up to Iran, it said in a statement.

In response, South Africa's defence ministry said it was launching an inquiry to get to the root of these serious allegations.

Washington has criticized South Africa for inviting Iran at a time when a brutal crackdown against protests was happening in the Middle Eastern country.

The US embassy in South Africa expressed concern that the actions of the South African military do not align with a position of non-alignment but rather suggest a choice to support Iran.

William Gumede, an associate professor at the University of Witwatersrand, commented, These are all democratic violations and human rights abuses, and we have not heard a whimper from the ANC. It has been silent on what's happening in Iran.

The US strongly criticized the participation of the Iranian military, stating it undermines maritime security and regional stability while Iran continues to suppress dissent at home.

The naval drill, dubbed Peace Resolve, began last Friday and includes participation from China and other developing nations. Despite the orders for Iranian ships to leave, they had already arrived in South Africa when the decision was communicated.