{"id":46108,"date":"2025-12-28T14:47:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T14:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=46108"},"modified":"2025-12-28T14:47:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T14:47:34","slug":"red-flags-raised-over-south-africas-reported-joint-naval-exercise-with-iran-and-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/12\/28\/red-flags-raised-over-south-africas-reported-joint-naval-exercise-with-iran-and-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Red flags raised over South Africa\u2019s reported joint naval exercise with Iran and Russia \u2013 Newsday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s claim of neutrality on the global stage is under fire as the Democratic Alliance (DA) criticises the government it is part of for hosting Iranian and Russian naval forces. <\/p>\n<p>The backlash stems from a City Press report stating that Iranian flotillas are en route to South African waters to participate in Exercise Mosi III, a multilateral naval drill involving several BRICS nations, which Iran recently became a member of.<\/p>\n<p>The DA\u2019s spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh MP, said the presence of these sanctioned states contradicts the country\u2019s stated foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe media confirmations that Iranian naval vessels are en route to South Africa to participate in the Mosi III naval exercise alongside Russia make it increasingly difficult for the government to maintain that South Africa is genuinely pursuing a policy of non-alignment,\u201d Hattingh stated.<\/p>\n<p>He added that hosting military forces from countries involved in active conflicts and human rights abuses sends a \u201cclear political signal\u201d, regardless of official government denials.<\/p>\n<p>Hattingh warned that South Africa\u2019s non-aligned stance is being systematically eroded. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s policy of non-alignment is being hollowed out. What begins as quiet military cooperation slips into secrecy and ends in open alignment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>According to the DA, these developments are the \u201cpredictable result of confused foreign policy and poor political judgement,\u201d noting that a single UN vote against Russia is undermined by military cooperation with Moscow and Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defence did not respond to queries from Newsday by time of publication. Comment will be added if received.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concerns over US perceptions<\/h2>\n<p>The Tehran Times reported that Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, commander of the Naval Force of the Iranian Army, confirmed that the 103rd and 104th flotillas have set sail to Cape Town.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, strengthen \u201cdefense and marine diplomacy\u201d and safeguard Iran against \u201cmultidimensional threats\u201d through \u201cstrategic resistance\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe take pride in the fact that the products and equipment used are entirely Iranian and align with our national naval strategies and methods.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The flotillas are believed to include ships equipped with military drones that have not yet been publicly demonstrated, adding international scrutiny to the maneuvers.<\/p>\n<p>Exercise Mosi III follows the controversial Mosi II, when Russia deployed the Admiral Gorshkov, a frigate capable of firing hypersonic Zircon missiles. <\/p>\n<p>While the SANDF describes such exercises as routine \u201cPassex\u201d drills for communication, helicopter manoeuvres, and logistical replenishment, the geopolitical optics remain sensitive, particularly with the United States.<\/p>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s relations with the United States have come under increasing strain in recent months, with bills being proposed in the Senate that cite alleged South African alignment with malign actors.<\/p>\n<p>The DA has warn that allowing sanctioned states to participate in Mosi III further undermines Pretoria\u2019s non-aligned stance and risks eroding long-standing defence and strategic partnerships with democratic allies.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contradictions within the GNU<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Red-flags-raised-over-South-Africas-reported-joint-naval-exercise.png?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Red-flags-raised-over-South-Africas-reported-joint-naval-exercise.png 1200w, https:\/\/newsday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SANDF-IRAN-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/newsday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SANDF-IRAN-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/newsday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SANDF-IRAN-600x338.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">General Rudzani Maphwanya, the chief of South Africa\u2019s military, during his controversial visit to Tehran, Iran\u2019s capital, in August.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The DA\u2019s criticism is heightened by perceived contradictions within the executive.<\/p>\n<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa previously denied any military cooperation with Iran following a controversial visit to Tehran by SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya in August.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have no military operations with Iran,\u201d Ramaphosa said at the time, while acknowledging that the timing of the visit was poor given geopolitical tensions.<\/p>\n<p>Confirmation that Iran will participate in Exercise Mosi III \u2014 marking the first time alongside Russia and China \u2014 appears to contradict those assurances. <\/p>\n<p>The DA said it will \u201cdemand full transparency on all military exercises involving sanctioned states\u201d and seek urgent parliamentary oversight over defence policy.<\/p>\n<p>Hattingh argues this path places South Africa\u2019s democratic partnerships at risk, particularly after Iran\u2019s president described the country as being in a \u201cstate of war\u201d with Western powers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"text-center border p-3 bg-light mt-4 rounded\">You have read 1 out of 5 free articles. Log in or register for unlimited access.<\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- Share Data Setup for JavaScript --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Red #flags #raised #South #Africas #reported #joint #naval #exercise #Iran #Russia #Newsday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u2019s claim of neutrality on the global stage is under fire as the Democratic Alliance (DA) criticises the government&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46110,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46108\/revisions\/46110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}