The SCO defense ministers before the start of the summit in New Delhi, India on April 28, 2023 (AP)

During the meeting in India with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers on Friday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani confirmed that Iran is ready to hold joint naval exercises with the SCO member states.

Ashtiani stressed his country's adamance on peace, security, and friendship in its defense doctrine on a regional and international level.

“As a result, we are seriously seeking today to activate multilateral defense diplomacy and active engagement in the regional and international security arrangements,” he said, adding that Iran is also prepared to play a more active role in the SCO through cooperation by holding joint naval exercises, sharing security intelligence and exchanging experiences to fight terrorism, tackling natural disasters, and dealing with pandemics.

Ashtiani also suggested the establishment of the ‘Shanghai Maritime Security Belt’ mechanism to guarantee the security of maritime routes and the safety of global trade with SCO member states' armed forces.

It is considered crucial, according to Ashtiani, for the organization to make long-term measures to establish necessary structures in the fields of “cyber defense” and “cognitive defense”.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi previously stated last month that the SCO member states consist of "considerable manpower," "rich resources," and "vast geographical expanse" at their disposal, which in turn relates to what Ashtiani is calling for.

Alongside the Iranian diplomat were the Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Russia’s Sergei Shoigu, Tajikistan’s Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, and Kazakhstan’s Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov who attended the convention chaired by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

In March 2022, Iran and the organization started a formal process for Tehran's accession to the block. A few months later in September, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment to join the SCO. The Iranian parliament then approved the country's accession to the organization.