{"id":17076,"date":"2026-01-11T13:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17076\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T13:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:07:19","slug":"china-leads-warships-from-russia-and-iran-in-show-of-force-near-south-africas-key-trade-route-united24-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17076\/","title":{"rendered":"China Leads Warships From Russia and Iran in\u00a0Show of\u00a0Force Near South Africa\u2019s Key Trade Route \u2014 UNITED24 Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Naval forces from China, Russia, Iran, and South Africa have launched a\u00a0multinational maritime exercise near one of\u00a0the world\u2019s key shipping corridors, signaling a\u00a0coordinated demonstration of\u00a0naval capability outside of\u00a0traditional Western-led frameworks.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Army Recognition on\u00a0January 10, the China-led exercise, named<\/a> Will for Peace 2026, is\u00a0being held from January 9\u00a0to\u00a016\u00a0in\u00a0South African territorial waters, particularly around Simon\u2019s Town and False Bay. <\/p>\n

The drill involves ships and crews from the four participating countries and is\u00a0officially focused on\u00a0ensuring the safety of\u00a0maritime economic activity and improving interoperability among naval forces.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/a>
\n Chinese supply ship Taihu (Hull 889) moored in\u00a0False Bay near Simon\u2019s Town ahead of\u00a0the Will For Peace 2026\u00a0drills with BRICS Plus navies. (Source: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The South African government confirmed the event in\u00a0a\u00a0statement issued on\u00a0December 30, 2025. The exercise is\u00a0described as\u00a0a\u00a0joint action to\u00a0secure sea lanes and build capacity for maritime security. <\/p>\n

While framed as\u00a0technical training, the scale and composition of\u00a0forces suggest a\u00a0broader strategic message, particularly given the location near the Cape sea lane\u2014an alternative to\u00a0the Suez Canal when access to\u00a0the Red Sea is\u00a0disrupted.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s navy is\u00a0leading the exercise, deploying the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan and the replenishment ship Taihu. As\u00a0Army Recognition reports, Tangshan brings command-and-control capabilities along with layered air-defense systems, while Taihu enables extended operational endurance at\u00a0sea.<\/p>\n

\"Warships<\/a>
\n Warships from South Africa, China, Russia, and Iran at\u00a0Simon\u2019s Town Naval Base for the Peace Resolve drills near Cape Town, January 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Russia has contributed the Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoikiy (hull number 545), along with the fleet tanker Yelnya, according to\u00a0images and details confirmed by\u00a0the Russian Embassy in\u00a0South Africa. <\/p>\n

The embassy emphasized that the drills would focus on\u00a0\u201cmaritime security and safe navigation.\u201d The Stoikiy specializes in\u00a0surface and limited air-defense missions, while Yelnya supports at-sea logistics operations.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s presence in\u00a0the drill includes the forward base ship Makran and the patrol combatant Naghdi. Visual documentation reviewed by\u00a0Army Recognition shows Makran operating alongside the other ships, signaling Iran\u2019s ability to\u00a0maintain naval presence far from its home waters. <\/p>\n

\"Warships<\/a>
\n Warships from South Africa, China, Russia, and Iran assembled at\u00a0Simon\u2019s Town Naval Base for the Peace Resolve joint exercise near Cape Town, January 9, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The ship\u2019s helicopter deck and support capabilities make it\u00a0suitable for rescue and medical support during extended maritime operations.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0the host nation, South Africa provides the regional framework for the event, with operations centered around Simon\u2019s Town\u2014the main base of\u00a0the South African Navy. While the South African military has not disclosed the number of\u00a0vessels involved, previous China\u2013Russia\u2013South Africa exercises have typically included navigation drills and coordinated patrols. <\/p>\n

Earlier, China, Iran, and Russia held<\/a> joint naval drills in\u00a0the Gulf of\u00a0Oman near the Strait of\u00a0Hormuz as\u00a0part of\u00a0the \u201cMaritime Security Belt 2025\u201d exercise. According to\u00a0AP, the drills included live-fire exercises, search and rescue operations, and maritime strike simulations, with observers from multiple regional countries.<\/p>\n

\"On\"Logo\"On the Frontline of Truth<\/a><\/p>\n

Our reporters risk their lives to show what\u2019s really happening in Ukraine. Your support keeps them safe, equipped, and reporting.<\/p>\n

\n Related articles\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Naval forces from China, Russia, Iran, and South Africa have launched a\u00a0multinational maritime exercise near one of\u00a0the world\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[63],"class_list":{"0":"post-17076","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"tag-africa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}