TEHRAN – The vast hall of Russia’s National Center provided the backdrop for a display of Eurasian unity on Tuesday as the 24th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit of prime ministers opened. 

The gathering, a key stop on Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref’s high-profile visit to Moscow, brought together a who’s who of the bloc, from Russia and China to India and Pakistan, in a meeting experts say underscores the SCO's accelerating geopolitical weight.

Sovereignty and a shared desire to reshape the regional order were among the most brought up topics. Likewise, the participants signed a joint statement that condemned what they described as unilateral coercive measures by the West. They specifically mentioned Iran, its nuclear program, and the long-lasting Western sanctions straddling the country, saying the ongoing anti-Iran pressure “impede international cooperation.” 

The statement added that the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which once underpinned the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), effectively endorse Tehran’s position that the file should now be closed.

After aiding Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear sites in June, the United States has now joined with its European allies to intensify economic pressure on Tehran. Reports indicate that Washington not only wants Iran to surrender its nuclear capabilities, but also demands that the West Asian country give up its most important means of defense — its missile arsenal.

A vision for a new financial system also took center stage at the new SCO summit. Iranian First Vice suggested the creation of a joint SCO cryptocurrency, arguing that such a tool is essential to break free from Western-dominated systems. “Implementing this cryptocurrency could streamline economic exchanges, boost trust, and increase transparency among SCO members,” Aref stated, describing it as a keystone for true regional integration.

Elsewhere in his address to the summit, Aref threw Iran’s full support behind the long-discussed SCO Development Bank, a project meant to fund infrastructure and reduce reliance on “unfair global financial systems.” He urgently called for accelerating Iranian banks' entry into the SCO’s Interbank Consortium. Such move would solidify Tehran’s role in financing future joint projects.

The sense of a bloc finding its new footing was palpable. SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev told the assembly that the Moscow meeting sought to inject “new momentum” into practical cooperation. With the SCO now representing a staggering 60 percent of Eurasia and over 3.4 billion people, he stressed that the focus remains squarely on “practical economic and humanitarian collaboration,” backed by ambitious plans for a new development bank and a strategic roadmap stretching to 2035.

Beyond the grand plenary sessions, the summit’s sidelines buzzed with diplomatic activity. Aref met with his host, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, cementing a bilateral relationship analysts say the two countries view as foundational. In a separate, more intimate gathering with Iranian diplomats stationed in Russia, Aref described a twenty-year journey to embed Iran within the architecture of Eurasia. “Strengthening Iran’s standing in regional unions has been a strategic priority for two decades,” he noted, pointing to deep cultural and historical ties with many member states.

In his exchanges with Iranians Aref also called Russia a “strategic partner with significant capacity.” This partnership, he stated, has now been codified in a “comprehensive strategic agreement,” and includes close coordination on thwarting European attempts to revive “illegal and void” sanctions on Iran.

The European signatories to the JCPOA (Germany, France, and the UK) triggered a mechanism intended to restore UN sanctions against Iran in October. Despite this action, the widespread opposition from Russia, China, and dozens of other countries has rendered the enforcement of these measures largely ineffective.