South African President Orders Investigation into Iran's Participation in Naval Exercises

SadaNews - The Presidency of South Africa ordered an investigation last night regarding Iran's participation in a naval exercise off the coast of Cape Town, contrary to the instructions of Cyril Ramaphosa.

The presidency stated in a statement that the formation of an investigative committee consisting of three judges "relates to violating the president's instructions not to allow Iranian naval participation in the (Peace Will) 2026 exercise led by China and held in South African waters."

China and Russia participated in the drills alongside forces from BRICS member countries, according to the "Agence France-Presse."

Ramaphosa had instructed the Minister of Defense to withdraw the three Iranian warships from the exercises, which coincided with a crackdown by the authorities in Tehran against protesters. The United States at the time considered Iran's participation "unacceptable."

Local media reported at that time that Ramaphosa requested Iran to participate only as an observer, but to no avail.

Following the controversy that arose over Iran's continued participation in the drills, the South African Ministry of Defense announced in mid-January the opening of an investigation. However, the presidency decided to appoint its own special committee; "to ensure an independent and timely investigation," according to the statement.

It added that "the committee will investigate and provide recommendations regarding the circumstances surrounding the exercises, the factors that may have contributed to the disregard of the president's order, the responsible person, and the consequences that will follow." Ramaphosa set a one-month deadline for the judges to complete their work and submit their report.

The statement reminded that the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. This is not the first time disagreements between the government and the military in South Africa have come to light.

In August of last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "statements made by individuals or departments not responsible for foreign policy should not be considered the official position" of the government. This followed statements made by a senior officer during his visit to Iran, which were reported by local media in Tehran.