Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war
An IRGC official said the exercise will focus on countering extremist activities and containing violent groups.
Iran is taking part in a joint counterterrorism exercise in Belarus this week with forces from Russia, China and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, while China has rebuffed Iranian requests to more actively intervene in its war with the United States and Israel.
A team from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Force arrived in Belarus on Tuesday to take part in a joint counterterrorism exercise involving member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO is a China-led Eurasian political, economic and security grouping that includes China, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries.
The military exercise, dubbed “Eurasia Antiterror 2026,” is set to begin on Thursday.
The CIS Anti-Terrorism Center said that the exercise will include “special units” from Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Uzbekistan.
