Senior Middle East analyst Kenneth Katzman told the US Institute of Peace that the priorities of the Raisi administration include efforts to reduce tensions with neighboring countries and to enhance relations with Asian powers, particularly China and Russia.
Raisi is also focused on expansion of trade with Central Asian states because he believes they do not feel any need to comply with severe sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, Katzman added.
Nicole Grajewski, a lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School, said that is expected that Iran will join the SCO within the next months and just one year after it submitted its application to become a member of the organization.
Regarding Iran's membership in the SCO, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said that the achievement has come due to Raisi's active foreign policy, adding that the membership will bring about some economic, trade and strategic benefits for Iran. It said that Iran's membership in the SCO will also be beneficial for the organization as it will improve its ties with the Islamic world.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) has said in an analysis that the deepening ties between Iran and Russia is a source of concern for the Western powers, adding that authorities in the US and Britain have been witnessing that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has become even closer in the past weeks.
The WINEP described Russia-Iran ties as transformative, adding that although they may have different interests, both countries have been seeking to restrict the United States’ role in international equations and to strengthen their own influence and power.
4208**9417**4261