TEHERAN - Iran supports the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) counterterrorism plans and cooperation efforts, a senior Iranian diplomat has said.

Mehrdad Kiaei, director-general for SCO and BRICS Affairs at Iran's Foreign Ministry, made the remarks during a meeting with Ularbek Sharsheev, head of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), on the sidelines of a joint anti-terror exercise, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Kiaei highlighted the central role of the SCO and RATS in Iran's foreign policy, calling RATS a "window into the region's future security architecture".

He said Iran's experience in combating terrorism enables its security and military institutions to play a "constructive and pivotal" role within the SCO's counterterrorism framework.

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Sharsheev praised Iran's hosting of the five-day drill, Sahand-2025, held in East Azarbaijan province, and noted Iran's "active and influential" participation in RATS activities.

Sahand-2025 was the second joint counterterrorism drill conducted by the SCO member states. The first, coded "Interaction-2024", was held in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in July last year.

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and international security organization grouping China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.