Addressing the 26th Summit of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday, Pezeshkian described the recent US-Israeli attacks against Iran as aggression against the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law.

The US and Israel launched their illegal war of aggression against Iran on February 28 by assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders.

Forty days later, on April 8, Washington and Tel Aviv were forced to accept a ceasefire amid Iran’s resistance, successful retaliatory operations, and a powerful grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

Pezeshkian noted that the US “honored its commitments to the document bearing the signature of its president for less than two weeks before beginning to make excessive demands and breach its commitments, a course that continues to this day.”

“The violation of the US commitments was met with an appropriate response from Iran,” Pezeshkian said.

He noted that if the United States returns to its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately do the same.

“Unlike the United States, my country has a distinguished record of honoring its international commitments and agreements and has always acted in accordance with the principles of international law,” the president said.

Pezeshkian also said the region is facing a range of interconnected security challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, and cybercrime, as well as emerging security threats.

He identified intensifying geopolitical rivalries, unilateralism, the use of force and military power, unilateral and unlawful sanctions, and the instrumentalization of economic and technological tools as additional sources of concern for developing countries and emerging economies.

The president further described security and development as “interconnected and inseparable” concepts, emphasizing the need for the SCO to address both security and economic dimensions.

He proposed three economic initiatives, including deepening financial and banking cooperation and establishing a Shanghai Cooperation Organization bank, creating an export and investment insurance union, and forming an SCO energy consortium.

Discussing security issues, Pezeshkian proposed establishing a strategic security studies center within the organization.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed the establishment of a strategic security studies center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” he said, adding that the center could draw on the scientific and expert capacities of member states to identify emerging threats, assess security developments, and provide specialized recommendations for strengthening regional security and stability.

Pezeshkian also expressed Iran’s readiness to participate actively and constructively in efforts to enhance the organization and support new initiatives aimed at strengthening its cohesion, effectiveness, and convergence.