Modi 3.0: Top 4 ministries unchanged; PM to handle high profile portfolios including Space and Atomic Energy

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi-led government of India has declined to endorse the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) condemnation of Israel’s ongoing military strikes on Iran, exposing a potential fault line within the Eurasian bloc over the rapidly escalating conflict.

While global leaders have issued urgent calls for restraint, Israel has intensified its offensive against Iran, targeting nuclear and military infrastructure in what many analysts describe as an unprecedented escalation. The latest wave of attacks, which began last Friday, has drawn condemnation from several countries — but not from the Modi government.

The renewed fighting follows two direct confrontations between Iran and Israel earlier in 2024, triggered by Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets and retaliatory attacks from Tehran. Iran reports that recent Israeli strikes have hit residential and military zones across Tehran and other cities, killing at least 80 people — including civilians, senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, and prominent nuclear scientists.

On Saturday, Israeli missiles targeted oil reserves, power stations, and refineries across Iran. In response, Tehran launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least 13 and injuring many more. Simultaneously, Iran announced a pause in its nuclear negotiations with the United States.

Why Did the Modi Government Stay Silent?

The Modi administration’s refusal to participate in the SCO’s condemnation raises several critical questions: Is New Delhi quietly aligning with Israel? What geopolitical risks does this stance pose for India and the broader region?

What Did the SCO Say?

Founded in 2001, the SCO comprises China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, and several Central Asian nations. Iran, the bloc’s newest member, joined in 2023 under India’s own chairmanship.

Currently chaired by China, the SCO on Saturday issued a joint statement expressing “serious concern” over the rising Israel-Iran tensions and “strongly condemning” Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. The statement called Israel’s attacks on civilian infrastructure and energy facilities “a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter,” warning that such actions threaten global peace and stability.

It further emphasized the bloc’s support for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through peaceful, diplomatic means, and extended condolences to the Iranian government and people.

New Delhi’s Diplomatic Balancing Act

In the immediate aftermath of Israel’s strikes, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, conveying “the deep concern of the international community” and urging restraint and a return to diplomacy. A statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to “monitoring the evolving situation” and promoting dialogue.

“India enjoys close and friendly relations with both countries and stands ready to extend all possible support,” the statement read.
However, when the SCO released its statement condemning Israel, the Modi-led government clarified that it had not participated in drafting or endorsing the declaration. “The overall position of India as stated above was communicated to other SCO members,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Analysts suggest this reflects a broader strategic calculation.

“Unlike other SCO countries, the Modi government has to juggle defence ties with Israel and economic cooperation with Iran,” said Dr. Shanthie D’Souza, a senior fellow at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. India is Israel’s largest arms buyer and has reportedly supplied munitions to Israel during the war in Gaza. At the same time, New Delhi is investing in Iran’s Chabahar Port, a critical trade corridor to Central Asia and Afghanistan.

“India is walking a very fine line in this conflict,” D’Souza added.

Quiet Backing for Israel?

Although the Modi government hasn’t openly backed Israel, its refusal to condemn the strikes and its abstention from a recent UN General Assembly vote demanding a ceasefire in Gaza raise questions about its true alignment.

Kabir Taneja, a strategic analyst at the Observer Research Foundation, called the abstention “perplexing,” speculating that it may be linked to India’s growing ties with the United States. India is currently finalizing a trade agreement with Washington, and maintaining strategic harmony with both the US and Israel could be influencing its position.

“India’s reluctance to endorse the SCO’s statement reflects its somewhat outsider status within the bloc,” Taneja noted. “Russia and China are aligned closely with Iran, but New Delhi’s tilt toward the US-Israel axis makes such statements politically sensitive.”

US Pressure on Iran – A Strategic Setback for India?

New Delhi’s balancing act is further complicated by renewed US sanctions under the second Trump administration. These include suspending waivers that previously allowed India to develop Iran’s Chabahar Port — a key part of its regional connectivity strategy.

The port is critical to bypassing Pakistan for trade with landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian markets. Now, Trump’s sanctions put at risk India’s multimillion-dollar investment in Chabahar and limit its options in Central Asia.

Yet India’s interest in Iran is not just economic. Iran’s geography is a strategic asset, offering India a vital corridor into regions that are central to its energy, trade, and security objectives.

By choosing not to back the SCO’s condemnation of Israel, the Modi-led government has signalled its preference for strategic autonomy — or what some might see as quiet alignment with the West and Israel. This decision may serve short-term interests, but it also risks long-term consequences for India’s role in regional diplomacy and the future cohesion of multilateral forums like the SCO.

Dubai: Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of open warfare between the regional foes that showed no sign of slowing.

Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for Israel’s sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure, which have killed at least 224 people in the country since last Friday.

The attacks raised Israel’s total death toll to at least 18, and in response the Israeli military said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

Powerful explosions, likely from Israel’s defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn on Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city.

Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles had hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments.

The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency service reported that two women and two men — all in their 70s — were killed in the wave of missile attacks that struck four sites in central Israel.

“We clearly see that our civilians are being targeted,” said Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne outside the bombed-out building in Petah Tikva. “And this is just one scene, we have other sites like this near the coast, in the south.”

The MDA added that paramedics had evacuated another 87 wounded people to hospitals, including a 30-year-old woman in serious condition, while rescuers were still searching for residents trapped beneath the rubble of their homes.

No negotiation while under Israeli attack

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on Sunday, killing and wounding civilians and raising concerns of a broader regional conflict, with both militaries urging civilians on the opposing side to take precautions against further strikes. 

Israel warned that the worse is to come. It targeted Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into buildings deep inside Israel.

An Iranian health ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, said the toll since the start of Israeli strikes had risen to 224 dead and more than 1,200 injured, 90 percent of whom he said were civilians. Those killed included 60 on Saturday, half of them children, in a 14-story apartment block flattened in the Iranian capital.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders in Canada on Sunday would reach an agreement to help resolve the conflict and keep it from escalating.

Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire with the US while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday. The Israeli military, which launched the attacks on Friday with the stated aim of wiping out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, warned Iranians living near weapons facilities to evacuate.

The world is now witnessing the highest number of active state-based conflicts since the end of the Second World War, with 59 ongoing wars and 78 countries involved, according to the 2024 edition of the Global Peace Index released by the Institute for Economics & Peace.

The report paints a grim picture of international stability, warning that global peacefulness continues to erode amid a backdrop of deepening geopolitical rivalries, rising militarisation, and a growing number of cross-border disputes.

“Many of the leading indicators that typically precede large-scale conflict are now at their worst levels since 1945,” the study stated.

Sharp Rise in Conflicts

There are currently 59 active state-based armed conflicts, three more than last year, making this the most violent period since WWII. The conflicts are not only increasing in number but also in complexity, with 78 nations now engaged in violence beyond their borders, a trend that the index attributes to growing global fragmentation and the assertiveness of middle powers.

Major flashpoints highlighted in the report include:

Russia-Ukraine

Israel-Palestine and Israel-Iran

China-US tensions over Taiwan

India-Pakistan

Armenia-Azerbaijan

North Korea-US

Iran-US

Yemen-Saudi Arabia

EU-Russia and UK-Russia

The report particularly noted the recent escalation between Israel and Iran, where Israel launched airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, killing senior Iranian officers—an incident that marked a dangerous expansion of the Middle East conflict.

Internationalisation of War

Conflicts are no longer localised. The report stresses that 78 countries are directly involved in conflicts beyond their borders, marking a significant shift toward internationalised warfare. The causes range from proxy wars and foreign interventions to the increasing involvement of middle-tier powers asserting dominance in their regions.

Decline in Conflict Resolution

The world is also seeing a steep decline in effective conflict resolution. The success rate of wars ending in a decisive military victory has plummeted from 49% in the 1970s to just 9% in the 2010s, while peace agreements as a method of resolution have dropped from 23% to just 4%.

Meanwhile, the long-term trend of falling militarisation has reversed. In the last two years alone, 106 countries have become more militarised, reflecting a broader shift toward rearmament and power projection.

Global Rankings

The Global Peace Index ranks 163 countries and territories, covering 99.7% of the world’s population.

Most Peaceful Countries (Top 5):

Iceland (since 2008)

Ireland

Austria

New Zealand

Switzerland

Least Peaceful Countries (Bottom 5):

Russia (for the first time)

Ukraine

Sudan

Democratic Republic of Congo

Yemen

Regional Overview

Western and Central Europe remains the most peaceful region globally.

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) retains its position as the least peaceful.

South Asia is now the second least peaceful region, with growing political repression in Bangladesh and enduring tensions between India and Pakistan contributing to its decline.

Interestingly, South America was the only region to record an overall improvement in peacefulness last year, with 7 of 11 countries showing gains.

Final Outlook

Overall, 87 countries saw a decline in peacefulness, while only 74 improved, leading to a net global deterioration of 0.36%. The report concludes that without major diplomatic interventions, the world is on a trajectory of escalating conflict and instability unseen since the mid-20th century.