Iran has announced it will hold bilateral meetings with Russia and China during the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as it seeks diplomatic support following last month’s 12-day air conflict with Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed the plans in a statement posted to Telegram, emphasizing the significance of talks with both counterparts. “We will have bilateral meetings with the Chinese foreign minister, which naturally carries its own importance in the current situation, as well as with the Russian foreign minister,” Araqchi said.

The meetings will take place during the SCO’s 25th foreign ministers’ gathering, currently being held in Tianjin, northern China. The SCO is a 10-member Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran, among others.

The diplomatic outreach comes in the wake of coordinated Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in June that targeted Iranian nuclear sites. Washington and Tel Aviv claimed the facilities were part of a clandestine weapons program—a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied, maintaining its nuclear activities are strictly peaceful.

Since the reimposition of U.S. sanctions during Donald Trump’s presidency, Iran has turned increasingly to China and Russia to offset economic isolation and geopolitical pressure. China now purchases up to 90% of Iran’s oil exports, and Tehran recently signed a 20-year strategic cooperation agreement with Moscow.

Araqchi highlighted the growing importance of the SCO as a global platform. “The SCO is steadily carving out a role for itself on the world stage—beyond its regional origins—with a wide-ranging agenda that includes economic, political, and security matters,” he noted.

The high-level talks are expected to reinforce Iran’s pivot toward eastern alliances as it faces heightened tensions with Western powers and seeks to cement its position within alternative global power structures.