Challenges of Permanent Membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

One of the most important and fundamental ways for countries to achieve strategic interests is to participate effectively in regional organizations. Because cooperation in these organizations is basically based on common goals and interests. The core of the SCO was established on April 26, 1996 in Shanghai, China, with the aim of strengthening mutual trust and disarmament on the borders of the newly independent Soviet Union, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan with China. In June 2001, it was renamed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is currently recognized as one of the most important multilateral regional groupings, and in terms of the vast scope of its activities, since its inception, it has always been considered from various aspects, and For this reason (comprehensiveness of assigned tasks) there has been much debate about the true nature and scope of the organization's core activities. The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the countries that, on the one hand, due to regional proximity and the existence of ties and common interests, and on the other hand, due to political pressures and sanctions imposed by the West, from the beginning of the organization, applied for membership. In September 2021, after many ups and downs, he was able to obtain the consent of all permanent members of the organization for permanent admission.