Iran in the SCO: a Forced “Look East” Strategy and an Alternative World Order

... Besides, throughout this year, Russia has repeatedly urged to endorse Iran’s bid for SCO membership. Intrinsic Motivation Endorsing Tehran’s bid for SCO membership was the first significant victory for the new ultra-conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi’s foreign policy. One of the key tasks for the Islamic Republic’s new head of government is to demonstrate his own achievements as opposed to the failures of his predecessor, the reformist Hassan Rouhani. The latter has repeatedly advocated ...