Iran inches one step closer to Russia and China as nuclear talks falter
Iran is set to formalize its relationship with the Global East, inching one step closer to joining the Sino-Russian axis as its nuclear talks with global powers falter.
The Islamic Republic on Wednesday signed a memorandum of obligations that will grant it full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a climactic moment after a fifteen-year wait since it first applied to join the Asian body, which includes Russia and China.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that expanding the Asian organization could help defy Washington's unilateralism, adding that thwarting "draconian" US sanctions required new solutions.
Hailed by Tehran as a successful entry into "a new stage of economic cooperation," the soon-to-be accession comes as hopes to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement are diminishing, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left the world in a state of polarization not seen since the Cold War.
Formed in 2001, the Asian bloc accounts for almost a third of the world's economy. It includes ex-Soviet states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and more recently India and Pakistan. Iran had been an observer state since 2005.
While Iran's bid for full membership was first approved last year, Wednesday's decision comes at an awkward moment as both Iran and Western leaders had hoped that by now there would be an agreement on reviving the nuclear deal, says Trita Parsi, vice-president of the Quincy Institute in Washington, DC.
"Iran has managed to begin to break out of its isolation," Parsi told CNN, noting that as the world turns multipolar, the West is now losing a key card it has long used to pressure Iran -- namely the United States' role as "a gatekeeper into the world economy."
Western sanctions had been a major pressure point drawing Tehran to the negotiation table, some of which were meant to be lifted if the nuclear deal had been revived. Talks have, however, stalled once more and analysts say that both Iran and the West are preparing for a no-deal scenario.
While little material relief is likely to come out of the SCO membership, Iran is likely to use the optics of Wednesday's signing to show the world that it is not alone, said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute.
"The symbolic aspect is undeniable," he said, noting that in practice, however, it will mean very little in the short term for Iran.
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