The warships of some members of the BRICS group of third-world countries were sent to a naval exercise in the waters of Cape Town, which has put host South Africa on high alert of the US fury being fired at it again.

China will be in the lead of the Will for Peace 2026 exercise, an exercise between Jan. 9 and Jan. 16, which will demonstrate the commitment of the participants collectively to protect the maritime trade routes and enhance cooperation with regard to the peaceful maintenance of maritime security, the South African National Defence Force said in a statement. It did not state what other countries would be involved, and a media conference will be held on Friday.

A Chinese destroyer anchored in the Simon’s Town naval base on Wednesday, and on social media this week, a Russian frigate was seen on the west coast of Africa heading towards the harbor, accompanied by a supply vessel. 

On Thursday afternoon, the IRIS Makran, a huge Iranian forward base ship that doubles as a floating logistical base and an operational command center, was spotted near Simon’s Town.

South Africa has been on loggerheads with the US since President Donald Trump assumed the White House nearly one year ago. One of the factors that has prompted indignation in Washington and the drill is likely to spark more friction, is that it is associated with Iran.

The US and the European Union expressed their criticism of the BRICS naval exercise hosted in Pretoria when it last took place in 2023, on the anniversary of the year Russia invaded Ukraine.

The second-largest political party in South Africa, the Democratic Alliance, added that the introduction of Russia and Iran into the drill would invalidate the government’s arguments that it was a non-aligned state and that it had canceled combined military exercises with the US.

“The defence and foreign policy of South Africa should be clear, constitutional and principled, and by no means can it be silently redefined by military drills, which go against our own declared policy of remaining neutral and harm our global reputation,” said Chris Hattingh, the DA spokesperson on defence.

Chrispin Phiri, the spokesman of the foreign ministry of South Africa, refused to comment and forwarded the queries to the defense force.