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South Africa Opens Inquiry Into Possible Defiance of Ramaphosa’s Order on Iran at Naval Drill

The investigation centers on whether the military ignored a direct order to pull Iranian ships from the exercises.

An Iranian corvette, the IRIS Naghdi, was among the vessels that moored off Cape Town ahead of the BRICS navy exercises
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Overview

  • Defence Minister Angie Motshekga set up a board of inquiry to determine if the president’s instruction was misrepresented or ignored, with findings due within seven days after the drill concludes.
  • Government sources have said President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered Iran’s withdrawal over concerns about strained US ties during AGOA deliberations and Tehran’s protest crackdown.
  • The extent of Iran’s operational role remains unclear, though a now-deleted SANDF post named an Iranian corvette as a participant and images showed at least one Iranian vessel at sea.
  • The US embassy in Pretoria condemned Iran’s presence as unconscionable, and Senator Jim Risch urged strong action against South Africa.
  • Opposition figures called for immediate parliamentary scrutiny, framing the dispute as a test of civilian control over the military during the China-led BRICS-associated exercise off Cape Town.