Joint BRICS maritime exercise closes

A joint maritime exercise codenamed "Will for Peace 2026," which drew participation of BRICS member states including China, Russia, and South Africa, closed on Friday in the airspace and waters near South Africa.

The exercise, which ran from Jan 9 to 16 in the waters and airspace off Simon's Town, consisted of two main phases.

The port and shore operations phase from Jan 9 to 12 included the opening ceremony, ship tours, cultural and sports events, and professional exchanges.

This was followed by the sea phase from Jan 13 to 15, during which the participating vessels conducted drills on communication, formation maneuver, maritime strike, hijacked vessel rescue, helicopter-borne patient transfer and treatment, and other subjects.

The exercise concluded with a closing ceremony on Friday.

"The waters around Simon's Town is a maritime transportation hub connecting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and maritime transport of goods is indispensable in many countries' economic activities. So for the BRICS member states, the better use of military forces to maintain shipping safety in this vital sea area and keep it in a state of peace will not only better guarantee their economic development and social stability, but also make more and greater contributions to the whole world," said Wei Dongxu, a military observer.

The joint maritime exercise went through under the theme of "Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Key Shipping Lanes and Maritime Economic Activities."

Selected from the 48th Chinese naval escort taskforce, the Chinese participating force included guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) and comprehensive supply ship Taihu (Hull 889), as well as a ship-borne helicopter and several dozens of special operations troops.

The exercise aimed to further deepen military exchanges and cooperation among participating nations, enhance their collective capacity to address maritime threats, and contribute to jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability and building a community with a shared future for humanity and a maritime community with a shared future.

Joint BRICS maritime exercise closes

No damage has been found at facilities containing nuclear material in Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday, based on analysis of the latest available satellite imagery.

The imagery indicated no radiological release risk at the time, the IAEA said in a social media post.

Damage can be seen at two buildings near the Isfahan nuclear site, while at the Natanz site, no additional impact was detected after the previously reported damage at its entrances, the agency said. No impacts were detected at other nuclear sites, including Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

"IAEA remains in constant contact with national nuclear safety regulators in the Middle East. So far, no elevation of radiation detected," the IAEA said, adding that the nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates and research reactors in Jordan and Syria continue to operate normally.

In the social media post, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the "paramount importance" of maintaining regional nuclear safety and security during the military conflict.

The United States and Israel on Saturday launched "major combat operations" against Iran. On Tuesday, the IAEA said that some recent damage had been confirmed at Iran's Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant.

IAEA sees no radiological release risk in Iran amid ongoing conflict