South Africa Faces Mounting Furor Over Iran Role in Naval Drills

South Africa’s government is facing mounting pressure to explain Iran’s participation in naval drills off the coast of Cape Town, a move that has further soured Pretoria’s already fractious ties with the US.

A board of inquiry is due to begin its probe this week into whether the military ignored President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instructions on what role Iran should play in the exercises, or if they had been miscommunicated. Should it be determined that there had been insubordination, senior officers stand to lose their posts.