Joint military drills involving the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are underway in Iran this week, marking the first time the bloc has held such exercises on Iranian soil since the country joined as a full member in 2023. The drills began on Monday and are scheduled to conclude on Friday, highlighting Iran’s expanding role within the organization.
The exercise, named Sahand-2025 and hosted by the Ground Forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), includes participation from all ten SCO member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Several observer states and regional countries, including Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq, are also attending. The large presence underscores the growing military and political weight of the SCO across Eurasia.
Sahand-2025 centers on improving coordination for operations related to counterterrorism, anti-separatism, and combating extremism—core priorities of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf described the event as a message to what he called hegemonic powers, arguing that the drills represent the determination of independent states seeking to strengthen security cooperation outside Western-aligned systems.
The exercises are being held at the IRGC Imam Zaman Mechanized Brigade base in Shabestar County in East Azerbaijan Province. The choice of location comes at a sensitive time for Iran, which has been reevaluating its strategic needs following its 12-day war with Israel in June. That conflict concluded with U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, prompting Tehran to deepen ties with SCO and BRICS partners, especially Russia and China.
On Wednesday, videos appeared on social media showing what seemed to be deployments of Iranian air defense systems, including the domestically produced Khordad-3 medium-range platform, moving northward. The systems were painted in dark green camouflage rather than the tan scheme used in desert regions, suggesting redeployment toward the Caspian Sea and Hyrcanian forests.
Analysts believe Iran is reinforcing its northern frontier following reports that Israel used Azerbaijani airspace to launch drones and missiles during the June conflict. Drop tanks from Israeli aircraft reportedly washed up along the Caspian coast during the war. Tehran now appears to be preparing for what it considers the likelihood of future Israeli strikes, with the SCO drills offering a platform to enhance regional military coordination amid a tense security environment.