On the afternoon of October 19, 2026, local time, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang met with Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref on the sidelines of the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe.

Li Qiang said that China and Iran are both ancient civilizations with a long-standing traditional friendship. Over the 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Iran relations have maintained steady and sound development and withstood the test of a changing international landscape. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. China is ready to work with Iran to take this as an opportunity to make new progress in exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Li Qiang pointed out that since the beginning of this year, the situation in the Middle East has been turbulent. President Xi Jinping put forward the four propositions on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and the four-point proposal on promoting common security in the Middle East, which have struck a wide chord among regional countries and the international community. China believes that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, and relevant parties should adhere to the choice of peace, restart dialogue and negotiations at an early date, resolve differences through political and diplomatic means, and promote the early restoration of tranquility in the region. China has been making every effort to promote peace and facilitate talks, and will continue to uphold the spirit of the major proposals and propositions put forward by President Xi Jinping and make continued efforts to promote peace, stability and development in the region.

Mohammad Reza Aref said that Iran attaches great importance to its relations with China and is ready to maintain close exchanges at all levels with China, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, intensify coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the SCO and BRICS mechanisms, and promote the sustained and in-depth development of the Iran-China comprehensive strategic partnership. As a responsible major country, China has always supported multilateralism and is committed to safeguarding the common interests of Global South countries, which Iran appreciates. Iran thanks China for its consistent efforts to promote peace and stop war, welcomes and supports the important proposals and propositions put forward by President Xi Jinping on promoting peace and security in the Middle East, and is ready to resolve conflicts and differences through dialogue and consultation. Iran hopes to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at an early date and restore peace and tranquility in the region as soon as possible.

Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.