Russia joins Chinese, Iran warships for drills off South Africa

GLOBAL TENSIONS

Washington this week seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker it said was part of a shadow fleet that carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran.

It has also threatened action against Iran should protesters be killed in mounting demonstrations sparked by anger over the rising cost of living.

Asked about the timing of the navy exercises, Holomisa said: “This exercise was planned long before these tensions we are witnessing today.”

“Let us not press panic buttons because the USA has got a problem with countries,” he said. “Those are not our enemies,” he said.

The joint drills were initially scheduled for November 2025 but were postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Washington boycotted the summit amid a row with Pretoria that includes anger over its ties with Russia and Iran.

“Washington has clearly been attempting to put Pretoria in its bad book since the beginning of the current Trump administration,” Priyal Singh, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told AFP.

“The optics surrounding the upcoming naval exercise will likely be used by policymakers in Washington as another prime example of why its bilateral relations with South Africa should be reviewed,” he said.