Leaders of Russia, China, Iran to attend summit in Kyrgyzstan

Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West. Read:FACTBOX - What to know about US 'Operation Economic Outcast' sanctions against Iran.

It takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow's. Ukraine invasionand six months into the war between. Washington and Tehran.

Iran will be represented by its president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian as well as India's Narendra Modi are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.

Putin is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Iran's Pezeshkian and China's Xi, among other leaders, Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov said. Russia and Iran - among the mostsanctionedstates in the world - have massively deepened their military and economic ties during the Ukraine war.

United States President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijingagainst arming Iran. Putin's meeting with Pezeshkian comes days after theCIA's director John Ratcliffemade a rare trip to Moscow, with US media speculating he could have discussed Ukraine and Iran with his Russian counterparts.

Read More:Uzbekistan's SCO freight traffic jumps 40% to 33.5m tonnes. The SCO has historically focused on economic issues. It gained momentum in recent years under Moscow's and Beijing's leadership.

On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 "dialogue partners", including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It also has two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia. The SCO's founding declaration says the group is "not an alliance directed against other states".

But Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches during its summits. At last year's gathering, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the Ukraine war, while Xi denounced "acts of intimidation", referring to US-Chinese tensions.

Real and trade wars. The Bishkek summit takes place as some SCO members are in the midst of real wars - the Ukraine and Iran conflicts - or trade wars, with the imposition ofUS tariffson Chinese and Indian goods.

This month, the US slapped secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners in the sectors of gold, technology, digital assets, aviation, and maritime transport, aiming to cripple the Iranian regime. Washington alsothreatened Iran's allieswith sanctions. China, a major importer of Iranian oil, responded by saying it will "firmly defend" its interests.

Iran, living under sanctions since its 1979 revolution ended with Islamic authorities taking charge, has regularly said it will not cave to economic pressure. But Pezeshkian has acknowledged his country faces "economic difficulties". Also Read:Pakistan to take SCO helm in September.

Iran only joined the bloc in 2023. Mohammad Hassan Najmi, an international relations expert, toldAFPthat Tehran "believes its membership and active participation in these alliances can enable it to circumvent US and European sanctions". But concrete benefits of the group are uncertain, he said, as "in times of crisis, these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties".

While the bloc claims to represent some 40% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP, it remains diverse, with some disagreements among members.

Russia and China compete for influence in Central Asia - a resource-rich region crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia - while Beijing at times has had strained relations with India and Pakistan.