CE TOWN, South Africa — A report into why Iranian warships took part in naval drills off South Africa’s coast this year against the instructions of the country’s president has been finalized, his office said Tuesday.
The investigation looked at whether Ramaphosa’s order was ignored by high-ranking members of the South African armed forces or officials at the Defense Ministry.
The report has been received by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa but will remain confidential while he reviews it, his office said in a statement. The president ordered that the investigation report to him and not the Defense Ministry to ensure it was independent, his office said at the time.
South Africa’s diplomatic relations with Iran have been a point of criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and one of the reasons why his administration has accused Africa’s biggest economy of having an anti-American foreign policy.
