BEIJING – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s attendance at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in China, along with the Iranian supreme leader’s trilingual message on bilateral ties, reflects the growing strategic alignment between the two nations.

The summit, held in the northern port city of Tianjin, marks a significant moment for Iran, which officially became an SCO member in July 2023 and has since actively participated in various areas of cooperation, injecting new energy into the SCO's development.

Founded 24 years ago in response to the complex international and regional landscape following the Cold War, the SCO has expanded from six founding members to a “big family” of 26 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa, making it the world’s largest regional cooperation body by both area and population.

As a key step in solidifying Iran’s role within this family, the Iranian president arrived in Tianjin on August 31 to attend the largest gathering in the SCO’s history, which holds the unique distinction of being the first intergovernmental organization named after a Chinese city.

On the same day, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei posted a message on the social media platform X, sharing his views on China-Iran relations in three languages—Chinese, Persian, and English—further highlighting the diplomatic significance of Pezeshkian’s visit.

“Iran and China are two countries with ancient civilizations on the two sides of Asia that have the power to create a transformation in the region and the world,” Khamenei wrote. “Implementing all the various dimensions of the strategic partnership agreement will help pave the way for this.”

China and Iran share a deep-rooted traditional friendship that was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. Amid rapid global changes, the strategic importance of this relationship has become even more prominent.

Following the SCO summit, Pezeshkian will participate in events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War—a clear signal of the strong ties between the two countries.

A key platform for the Global South
The Tianjin summit comes at a time when the international system is in disarray and unilateralism is on the rise, making the SCO a pivotal platform for the Global South to find a collective voice on the world stage and forge a new path forward.

The SCO’s effectiveness in this regard stems from the “Shanghai Spirit,” a set of founding principles featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development.

This guiding framework allows the SCO to manage a broad family of nations with differing political and economic systems and diverse interests. The group’s consensus-based approach to decision-making ensures a unified voice, which is particularly relevant in a world rife with geopolitical tensions.

Leveraging these strengths, the SCO expressed serious concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East, issuing a rare and strong condemnation of a U.S. military strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June, calling it a gross violation of international law and a destructive act against global peace.

The organization’s stance against unilateralism underscores its commitment to multilateralism—a principle growing more relevant as the world shifts from a unipolar international order, largely defined by Western dominance after the Cold War, toward a more multipolar system.

This shift is further highlighted by the diverse and unprecedented lineup of summit attendees. In addition to leaders from member states such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering drew leaders from Central Asia and nearly all Southeast Asian nations.

The guest list was particularly notable for the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As a NATO member and one of the organization’s 14 dialogue partners, his attendance highlighted the SCO’s expanding global appeal.

This suggests that the current international order is undergoing a significant geopolitical shift, making the SCO’s role in upholding regional peace and stability more important than ever.