Iran Joins SCO, Deepens Strategic Partnership with China

Iran and China are deepening their strategic partnership, anchored in a 25-year cooperation agreement covering trade, energy, infrastructure, and security, which leaders from both nations emphasize as transformative for regional and global dynamics. Iran’s recent full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) further cements this alignment, providing Tehran with a critical platform to enhance economic ties and counter Western sanctions. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has underscored the historic civilizational ties between the two countries and called for full implementation of the strategic pact to reshape the global order. President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to the SCO summit in China highlights Iran’s pivot toward Eastern markets and multilateral cooperation, aiming to significantly boost trade with SCO members. Projects such as a high-speed rail linking Tehran and the pilgrimage city of Mashhad exemplify tangible outcomes of this partnership. Together, these developments indicate Iran’s strategic focus on leveraging its SCO membership and Sino-Iranian ties to foster economic resilience and regional influence amid ongoing Western sanctions.