China, Russia, and Iran launched joint naval exercises in South African waters on Saturday, marking the start of a week-long BRICS Plus operation aimed at ensuring maritime safety, South African authorities said.
The drills, dubbed Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026, bring together navies from the expanded BRICS group—which includes Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and the UAE—for joint safety operations and interoperability exercises, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
South Africa emphasized that the exercises are apolitical and focused on improving maritime security and collaboration. “There is no hostility towards any country,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, acting spokesperson for joint operations.
The expanded BRICS bloc is increasingly seen by members as a counterweight to Western economic dominance, prompting criticism from some pro-Western political parties and U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, who has called the grouping “anti-American.”
Observers from Brazil, Egypt, and Ethiopia also attended the opening, highlighting the bloc’s growing international engagement.