Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran
Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action
While some observers have suggested the bloc could take a decisive coordinated stance, analysts said such expectations were unlikely to be met, not because the bloc was ineffective but because restraint was built into its design.
Iran became a full member of the SCO in July 2023. It has viewed the bloc, led by China and Russia, as an important platform to break free from US-led diplomatic isolation amid long-standing Western economic sanctions.
But Iran’s high tensions with the United States and Israel have cast uncertainty over the SCO’s regional agenda, with the conflict in the Middle East remaining unresolved even as a Pakistan-mediated fragile ceasefire enters its eighth week.
According to an Axios report on Thursday, Washington and Tehran have reached a tentative agreement on a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and facilitate formal negotiations, though US President Donald Trump has yet to give his final approval.