The powerful chairman of the United States senate foreign relations committee says that South Africa is an “adversary” and is displaying “open hostility” to the US by hosting joint naval exercises with Iranian, Russian and Chinese vessels.
Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican, called for the Trump administration to take “stronger action” against Pretoria amid the ongoing “BRICS Plus” exercises in South African waters, dubbed “Will for Peace 2026”.
“South Africa’s @MYANC-led government’s foreign policy hides behind a claim of non-alignment, yet its military hosts drills with America’s chief adversaries. Any promise or deal this government offers Washington is meaningless when its actions signal open hostility toward the United States.
“President Trump is right to treat South Africa’s government for what it is: an adversary of America. That is why the US should take stronger action against the South African government. The time for envoys, bureaucratic reviews, or business deals bridging the gap has past,” Risch wrote.
Confusion over Iranian participation
South Africa’s joint task force commander, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, told the naval exercises opening ceremony on Saturday that the drills were “essential” to maritime security, citing “our collective resolve to work together”.
But the inclusion of the Iranian navy in the exercises has provoked significant controversy amid the ongoing violent suppression of anti-government protests in Iran, which an Iranian official on Tuesday told Reuters has led to the deaths of at least 2,000 people. Human rights activists believe the death toll could be far higher amid widespread reports that security forces are using live ammunition against protestors.
On Monday, the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation, citing a “well placed SA government source” reported that the government had requested Iran withdraw from the exercises to prevent a further escalation in tensions with the United States.
However, South African aviation and defense journalist Dean Wingrin reported on Tuesday that the Iranian vessel Naghdi was spotted participating in the exercises.
“Iranian corvette Naghdi has just emerged from Naval Base Simon’s Town to take part in the Sea Phase of Exercise Will for Peace. Seems multiple reports emanating from within SA govt that Iran had agreed to withdraw was premature,” he wrote.
Trump previously threatened US intervention if Iran used deadly force against protestors and is reported to be considering a range of options in response to the mounting death toll.
Russia’s participation in the exercises has also been criticised, given its ongoing war against Ukraine. South Africa has been involved in failed attempts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict but continues to enjoy warm relations with President Vladimir Putin.
Relations with US at historic low
US relations with South Africa are at the lowest point in the post-apartheid era following the Trump administration’s boycotting of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and US attempts to bar South Africa from the 2026 instalment in Miami, Florida.
The boycott followed a disastrous Oval Office meeting last May between President Trump and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, at which Trump baselessly accused South Africa of the mass killings of white South Africans. The US government has offered asylum to Afrikaners, who it claims are racially persecuted.
Even before the Oval Office meeting, Pretoria was increasingly gravitating towards stronger relations with countries in the BRICS bloc that share its distrust of the US.
While the US has previously shown little inclination to build relations with African states under Trump, on Monday the US House of Representatives passed a three-year extension of the lapsed African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which will now be considered by the Senate. Republican senator John Kennedy previously called for South Africa to be excluded from AGOA due to its geopolitical positions.
Wingrin wrote that the naval exercises could further alienate Pretoria from Washington DC.
“SA can expect renewed pressure from the US at a critical time in trade negotiations & AGOA renewal. May also indicate divisions between President, DIRCO and the MoD. This does not bode well for SA, no matter your political viewpoint, it is about the realities of trade/politics.”