Iran plans to hold joint naval exercises with China and Russia in the northern Indian Ocean region in mid-February, Iranian media reported on Saturday amid elevated tensions with the US.

The naval exercises could inflame relations with Donald Trump - who is already at loggerheads with Pretoria.

Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov discusses closer military cooperation with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.

“Russia and ‍ India will ​hold joint naval exercises ‌in the ​Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean in February 2026,” Russia's TASS state news ​agency reported ⁠on Wednesday (January 28, 2026), citing the Russian Maritime College's ​press service.

Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has ordered a board of inquiry to establish why President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instructions to the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to withdraw Iran from the multination