China, Russia and Iran have begun a week-long joint naval exercise in South African waters, a move that comes amid strained relations between Washington and several members of the expanded BRICS bloc.

South Africa’s military said the drills, titled "Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026", are aimed at ensuring the safety of shipping routes and strengthening maritime cooperation among participating navies.

The exercise involves three countries with tense relations with the United States and comes as the administration of Donald Trump has stepped up criticism of BRICS Plus nations, including China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil.

South Africa controls key sea lanes around the Cape of Good Hope, a strategic route for global trade linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe, giving the drills wider international significance.

BRICS Plus is an expanded grouping of the bloc originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which members describe as a counterweight to U.S. and Western economic influence.

The wider group also includes Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

While BRICS was initially focused on economic cooperation and development finance, recent summits have signalled broader ambitions, including closer coordination on political and security issues.

Chinese military officials at the opening ceremony said Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia were participating as observers.

Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, acting spokesperson for joint operations, told Reuters that all BRICS Plus members had been invited to take part.

Trump has previously accused BRICS countries of pursuing "anti-American" policies and last January threatened to impose an additional 10% trade tariff on all members, on top of duties already applied to other countries.

In South Africa, the pro-Western Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the coalition led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, criticised the drills, saying they "contradict our stated neutrality" and risk turning the country into "a pawn in the power games being waged by rogue states".

Mathebula rejected the criticism, saying the exercise was not political in nature.

"This is not a political arrangement … there is no hostility towards the U.S.," she said, noting that South Africa also periodically conducts naval exercises with the U.S. Navy.

"It is a naval exercise intended to improve capabilities and information-sharing," she added.

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