Iran's Status to Improve via SCO After Nuclear Deal – Lavrov

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will raise the status of Iran, which currently participates as an observer, after the Iranian nuclear issue has been settled, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

MOSCOW, June 3 (Sputnik) — Following a meeting of SCO’s Foreign Ministers' Council, Sergei Lavrov told reporters:

“We assessed the request from Iran, which since 2005 has actively participated in the work of the SCO as an observer state. We all spoke out in favor of raising Iran’s status within our organization in the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.”

The SCO is a political, economic and military alliance, comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as members and Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran as observers.

According to the Russian minister, there are no obstacles to a successful completion of the Iran nuclear talks, as long as all participants adhere to the political framework agreement reached in April.

The West has long suspected Tehran of developing a weapon under the guise of a civilian nuclear program. The deal is meant to alleviate suspicions.

The UN Security Council has agreed to lift nuclear-related sanctions from Iran in case the deal is reached. The UN sanctions were the only obstacle for Iran getting the status of SCO permanent member.

The SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs kicked off in the Russian capital earlier on Wednesday.