Russia, China and Iran Join Naval Exercises off South Africa

Naval contingents from Russia, China and Iran are converging in South Africa in anticipation of the start of Exercise Mosi-3 in early January. Mosi-3 is labelled a BRICS initiative, albeit participation identified so far seems rather thin.

Making a port call in Mombasa en route to South Africa on Christmas Eve were two naval vessels of the People Liberation Army (PLAN), the Type 052DL guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (D122) and the Type 903A replenishment ship Taihu (K889). The remaining ship of the 48th Flotilla, the Type 054A guided-missile frigate Daqing (F576), appears to have been left behind to keep watch over the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Heading down the west coast of Africa are the Russian Steregushchiy Class corvette Stoykiy (F545) with a Ka-27PL ASW helicopter on board, and its escorting Altay Class oiler Yelnya (A168). This flotilla came into Pointe-Noire, in the Republic of the Congo, on December 21, and is programmed to be away from its Baltic Fleet base for six months. It was tracked through the English Channel in late November, and after its participation in Exercise Mosi-3 is scheduled to make calls in Tanzania, Guinea, and Mozambique. It may well then provide the Russian participation in the Iranian annual Exercise Maritime Security Belt 2026, alongside vessels from the PLAN’s 48th Flotilla.

Somewhere out there are the 103rd and 104th Flotillas of the regular Iranian Navy (Nedaja), of which the 103rd is slated to take part in the exercise. The Nedaja may not follow the Chinese into Mombasa, as Iranian-Kenyan relations are somewhat poor; earlier this year the Kenyan Navy seized an Iranian-crewed ship smuggling a huge consignment of drugs off the Kenyan coast, which followed an incident when the Iranian ambassador attempted to fly out two members of the IRGC who had been arrested in Kenya on terrorism charges. The Iranians may be relying on resupply at sea rather than making landfall; the long-range resupply vessel IRINS Makran (K441) was still missing from its berth in Bandar Abbas late on December 28.

On a previous expedition to South Africa in January 2017, the Nedaja’s Bandar Abbas Class resupply vessel IRINS Bushehr (K422), which was escorting the Moudge Class frigate IRINS Alvand (F71), suffered hull damage after hitting a container adrift at sea, and was stranded in Durban for some time while the cost of repair was negotiated. In April 2023, when Nedaja vessels of the global circumnavigating 86th Flotilla were given permission to dock in Cape Town on the way back to Iran, the US Embassy warned the South African authorities that "entities and individuals that provide support, including maritime services to designated entities, could be subject to sanctions risk under US authorities." Similar issues may arise again over Exercise Mosi-3.