Iran to Hold Strategic Talks with Russia, China at SCO Summit Amid Escalating Tensions with Israel
Amid heightened regional tensions following a deadly 12-day aerial conflict with Israel, Iran is set to engage in high-level bilateral talks with Russia and China during the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ summit this week in Tianjin, northern China.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed via Telegram that Tehran will hold “important bilateral meetings” with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.
The meetings come at a critical time, as Iran seeks diplomatic support and security assurances following recent strikes by Israel and the United States on its nuclear infrastructure.
“We will meet with the Chinese foreign minister, which is significant given the current situation, and also with the Russian foreign minister,” Araqchi wrote, underlining the geopolitical weight of these engagements.
The SCO, a regional security and economic bloc, includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian nations. Originally focused on counterterrorism and regional stability, the grouping has grown into a platform for broader strategic cooperation. For Iran, it now represents a key forum for deepening alliances outside of Western-dominated institutions.
Araqchi emphasized the organization’s evolving influence:
“The SCO is increasingly asserting its place on the global stage. It is no longer limited to regional issues—it is now tackling a wide range of political, economic, and security matters.”
Last month’s hostilities began after Israel and the United States launched coordinated airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear sites, claiming they were linked to a clandestine weapons program. Tehran has fiercely denied the allegations, maintaining that its nuclear ambitions are strictly peaceful.
The strikes, which analysts have likened to a low-intensity air war, triggered regional condemnation and prompted Iran to seek diplomatic counterbalance through its Eastern partners.
Since the reimposition of U.S. sanctions under the Trump administration, Iran has increasingly pivoted eastward. China now reportedly purchases as much as 90% of Iran’s oil exports, defying Western pressure, while Tehran has signed a 20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement with Moscow, encompassing military, economic, and technological collaboration.
Both Russia and China have repeatedly called for the lifting of Western sanctions and the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, which the U.S. exited in 2018.
With Iran’s formal entry into the SCO in 2023, its leaders see the bloc not only as a diplomatic shield but as a counterweight to Western geopolitical influence in the Middle East and Central Asia.
