Quest for Membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Iran’s Leap Toward a Multilateral Regional Role

Abstract

This study aims to examine Iran's quest for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) in the context of its calculated move to strengthen its multilateral
regional position. The core question is in what way do Iran's objectives and position
within the organization correspond to or depart from those of the other members? The
study has been undertaken with the conceptual framework based on regionalism and
complex interdependence. The study's qualitative methodology makes use of
secondary sources to investigate Iran's political and economic maneuvers inside the
SCO. According to the findings, Iran uses its SCO membership to pursue security
assurances, business possibilities, and diplomatic influence while navigating the
conflicting interests of major players like China and Russia. The study examines how, in
the face of complex geopolitical circumstances, Iran is able to fulfill its ambitions both
locally and regionally thanks to these intraregional political contestations. Overall, this
study emphasizes how important the SCO is to Iran as a means of expressing its power
and responding to outside criticism, especially from the West.