Iran continues to refuse proposal it join regional consortium for enriched uranium as officials prepare for meetings with Russia, China and European nations amid nuclear tensions

Weeks after his country was battered by waves of Israeli strikes and the US bombed three of its prized nuclear facilities, Iran’s foreign minister came to a gathering of regional diplomats in China this week with a simple ask.

"Strengthening air defense capabilities is clearly an urgent priority for Iran at the moment," expert Hongda Fan told Newsweek.

Russia sought to do this naval drill primarily to show it is still interested in joint cooperation with Iran. Iran and Russia began a naval exercise on Monday.

About half of Israeli respondents identified Iran as the greatest threat to their country, while 17% said Hamas, according to a Pew Research Center survey published in July 2025, which offered a comparative look at global threat perceptions.

Iran and Russia have a security agreement although Moscow did not come to Tehran's help when it was under attack by Israel and the United States

Iran could withhold security commitments if European states invoke a U.N. mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a member of Iran's parliamentary national security commission said on Monday,

China faces pressure to move beyond economic diplomacy and become Iran’s key security partner as regional instability grows.