The Daily Maverick published on 12 January 2026 an article titled "Iran Pulls Out of SA's Joint Naval Exercise Amid Political Tensions" by Peter Fabricius.
Three Iranian naval vessels joined warships from South Africa, China, Russia, and the UAE in Simon's Town, South Africa, to participate in a weeklong BRICS' naval exercise. The Iranian vessels will not, however, join the others as the exercise gets underway. Pretoria reportedly urged Iran to withdraw from the exercise to avoid antagonizing the United States.
