TEHRAN – Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh arrived in Qingdao, China, on Wednesday to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers’ meeting.

He was given a warm welcome by Chinese officials upon his arrival at the airport. The high-level SCO summit took place over two days on Wednesday and Thursday. It was chaired by Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and featured top defense officials from across the region.

During his visit, Nasirzadeh also met with senior military officials from China to discuss bilateral developments. There is not much detail on the context of the talks, but he was expected to bring up the recent Iran-Israel war that lasted for 12 days. 

The Iranian military official also held separate meetings with counterparts from other participating countries. In a meeting with Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the two sides strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iranian soil, which began on June 13 and resulted in the martyrdom of at least 627 people, the majority being civilians, including women and children. 

In his address, the Pakistani defense minister also reaffirmed his country’s steadfast commitment to the principles and objectives of the SCO, emphasizing the importance of collective security, coordinated counterterrorism efforts, and enhanced regional connectivity. In this regard, he urged for the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue, mediation, and preventive diplomacy.

Pakistan was one of the countries that unequivocally slammed Israel’s war and pledged support for the Iranian nation. The war halted on June 24, after the U.S. send a proposal to Iran via Qatar.