Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei looks to China to change global balance of power

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on China to work together with Iran to reshape regional and global power dynamics.

"The two countries on both sides of Asia have the power to bring about change in the region and the world," Khamenei said, according to the Iranian portal Iran Nuances, in a post on X on Sunday.

The implementation of the planned strategic partnership agreement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit is expected to help pave the way for this transformation.

According to the Iranian constitution, Khamenei has the final say on all strategic matters.

On the agenda of the bilateral negotiations is also the implementation of a planned high-speed rail project, which is set to connect the capital Tehran with Iran's pilgrimage city of Mashhad in the north-east of the country.

Mashhad is the country's most important tourist city, as millions of pilgrims visit the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam Reza there every year.

Due to the high cost of flights, an increasing number of pilgrims are opting to travel by train.