Iran Pushes for Regional Security Alliance Within SCO

At the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers held in China on Tuesday, senior Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi proposed the establishment of a collective security forum to address common security challenges faced by member states.

During his address, Araghchi presented four key suggestions, with the creation of a unified security body being a central recommendation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and stability, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

1. Establish a permanent mechanism to monitor, document and coordinate responses to military aggression, acts of sabotage, state terrorism, and violations of national sovereignty of member states;

2. Establish a “Center for Studies and Counteraction against Unilateral Sanctions” tasked with developing strategies to counter illegal economic sanctions and protect the supply chains, banking systems and trade exchanges of member states;

3. Establish a “Shanghai Regional Security Forum” with the participation of defense and intelligence agencies of member states to address shared threats such as terrorism, extremism, organized crimes and cyber threats;

4. Deepen media and cultural integration among member states as a means of countering the cognitive war and one-sided narratives promoted by the media arms of hegemonic powers.

Prior to proposing the four recommendations, Araghchi referred to the recent Israeli regime and the United States' aggression on Iran, saying that "The Israeli aggression against Iran was a clear violation of Article 2, paragraph 4, of the United Nations Charter and constituted an armed act of aggression. Even worse, this act of aggression has dealt a fatal blow to diplomacy, the rule of law, and the nuclear non-proliferation regime."

The Iranian minister further highlighted that "No legal rule allows peaceful nuclear facilities under safeguards to be targeted for attack based solely on political speculation."