Iran and the SCO: The Quest For Legitimacy and Regime Preservation
Journal: Middle East Policy
Year: 2023

Abstract At the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, the Russian‐ and Chinese‐led bloc announced the approval of Iran's longstanding bid for membership. Iran has viewed its involvement in the organization as a means of bolstering external legitimacy, fostering security‐oriented regionalism, and promoting the transition toward the so‐called multipolar world order. The SCO has served as a regime‐preservation network by providing Iran with a source of solidarity against external pre