At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the SCO has evolved into one of the independent and influential centers of the emerging multipolar world. Iranian President Pezeshkian said at the summit that if the United States fulfills its commitments under the previous Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Iran will immediately take reciprocal action. U.S. sanctions against Iran pose a challenge to the economies of Central Asia, but Central Asian countries may find it difficult to fully comply with the sanctions due to their economies being deeply intertwined with the trade networks of Russia and China.