Russia, China, and Iran began joint naval exercises off the coast of South Africa on Saturday, marking the second such drills between the three countries within the past year as the BRICS bloc continues to expand military cooperation amid growing global instability.
The exercises, dubbed Will for Peace 2026, are officially led by China and hosted at South Africa’s Simon’s Town Naval Base. The drills are scheduled to continue through the end of next week and will focus on joint maritime safety operations, anti-piracy missions, and counter-terrorism scenarios.
In addition to Russia, China, Iran, and host nation South Africa, observers from Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia are present. India and Brazil both declined to participate directly, while there have been unconfirmed reports that the United Arab Emirates has sent a naval vessel in support of the exercises.
The drills were originally planned for November 2025 but were postponed due to South Africa’s hosting of the G20 summit. This marks the second major trilateral naval exercise involving Russia, China, and Iran in the past year, following Marine Security Belt 2025, which took place near Iran’s Chabahar port last March.
The naval exercises come at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, particularly in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled the possibility of renewed military action against Iran, with recent unrest inside the country cited by some observers as a potential pretext for escalation.
On Sunday, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former Shah who was overthrown in 1979, called on Iranians via social media to rise up and occupy government buildings. However, multiple estimates indicate that protest activity has sharply declined, with participation reportedly down more than 90 percent from its peak late last week.
Israeli media, citing intelligence assessments, has also reported that Israeli officials no longer believe the unrest poses a serious threat to the Iranian government. Tehran has consistently accused foreign powers of orchestrating and directing the riots, an allegation denied by Western governments.