Iran has called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to play a more active role in regional and global security issues.
The editorial office, citing IRNA and Reuters, reports that Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense and spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, Reza Talaei Nik, made this call at the meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO for short, is a regional security and cooperation platform uniting China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and several other countries. The organization primarily operates on issues of security, counter-terrorism, regional stability, and economic cooperation.
The Iranian side's message stated that the SCO can play a more effective role both regionally and globally within the framework of a common collective security concept. Tehran believes that in the current international environment, security issues should be resolved not by individual countries acting alone, but through broader regional cooperation mechanisms.
In his speech, Talaei Nik claimed that Iran has been subjected to illegal attacks by the US and Israel over the past year. According to him, these attacks have pushed Western Asia into a state of greater instability and crisis.
The Iranian official assessed these attacks as a violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force, as well as international humanitarian law. He stated that Tehran considers these actions war crimes and state terrorism.
The message emphasized that Iran exercised its right to self-defense based on Article 51 of the UN Charter. This article grants a state the right to defend itself in the event of an armed attack. The Iranian side stated that its retaliatory measures were “decisive and proportionate.”
Talaei Nik also criticized US military bases located in regional countries. According to him, these bases played a role in carrying out and supporting attacks against Iran. The Iranian official stated that these countries did not adhere to their pre-war promises not to allow third parties to violate Iran's territorial integrity.
For this reason, Tehran claims that these bases have become legitimate targets for the Iranian armed forces. This statement indicates that Iran views the US military presence in the region as a direct threat.
The Iranian official also stated that the world is no longer simple enough for problems to be resolved through the language of threats and force. He presented US statements regarding other countries' natural resources, territorial claims, and political systems as an approach contrary to international law.
Talaei Nik stated that Iran is ready to actively participate in initiatives within the SCO framework to strengthen collective security and combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism.
According to Reuters, the Iranian official also said that they are ready to share defense capabilities with SCO members and independent countries. He stated that Iran's military experience gained in recent conflicts could be beneficial for partner countries.
The Bishkek meeting coincides with a period when Iran is seeking to strengthen defense cooperation with Russia, Belarus, and other SCO countries. For Tehran, this platform is significant both as a security partnership and as a diplomatic balancing tool against US pressure.