By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
South Africa’s defence minister has ordered a formal inquiry into reports that Iranian warships took part in recent multinational naval exercises off the coast of Cape Town, following sharp criticism from the United States.
The investigation was announced after the week-long drills brought naval vessels from China, Iran, Russia and the United Arab Emirates into South African waters, triggering diplomatic backlash from Washington.
Local media reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed Defence Minister Angie Motshekga to ensure that Iranian vessels were withdrawn from the exercises, which coincided with Iran’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. However, it remains unclear whether that directive was fully implemented.
Images later emerged showing at least one Iranian naval vessel operating at sea during the drills. Adding to the confusion, a defence ministry social media post earlier this week listed an Iranian corvette among the participating ships, although the post was subsequently deleted.
In a statement issued on Friday, the defence ministry said Motshekga had “clearly communicated” the president’s instruction, but acknowledged uncertainty over whether that directive had been misrepresented or ignored. The statement did not spell out the exact nature of Ramaphosa’s order, and the presidency has not publicly confirmed it.
A board of inquiry will now investigate “whether the instruction of the president may have been misrepresented and/or ignored,” the ministry said.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has defended the exercises, describing them as China-led BRICS naval drills aimed at ensuring the safety of shipping lanes and protecting maritime economic activities.
However, the United States embassy in Pretoria condemned Iran’s participation, calling it “particularly unconscionable” in light of Tehran’s ongoing suppression of protests. Independent monitors estimate that thousands have been killed since demonstrations erupted across Iran.
The controversy comes at a sensitive moment for South Africa’s relations with Washington. The exercises involved several countries with strained diplomatic ties to the United States, even as Pretoria seeks to repair what it has described as a battered relationship with the Biden administration.
Former US President Donald Trump’s administration had previously accused South Africa of pursuing anti-American policies, boycotted a G20 summit hosted by Pretoria in November, and imposed a 30 percent trade tariff on certain South African exports.
Tensions resurfaced in August when Ramaphosa’s office publicly rebuked the defence force for allowing South Africa’s top military general to visit Iran, where he reportedly called for enhanced defence cooperation.
At the time, the presidency said the visit undermined South Africa’s efforts to carry out “a very delicate exercise of resetting diplomatic relations with the United States.”
