Why India refused to join SCO condemnation of Israel’s attacks on Iran
India has distanced itself from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO’s) condemnation of Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran, signalling a potential rift in the influential Eurasian political bloc over the conflict.
World leaders have repeatedly called for de-escalation during Israel’s unprecedented attacks on its regional rival Iran, which threaten to destabilise the region. On Friday, the latest round of fighting began after Israel launched attacks on Iran’s military and nuclear sites.
This follows two rounds of direct military conflict between Iran and Israel in 2024, which were triggered by Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and subsequent Iranian retaliation.
Iranian authorities said Israeli attacks since Friday have targeted residential and military areas in Tehran and in many other cities across the country, killing at least 80 people, including civilians. Several Iranian nuclear scientists and university professors have been killed along with several top-ranking commanders of the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israeli attacks on Saturday hit refineries, power stations and oil reserves across Iran. Tehran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens. Tehran has also paused nuclear negotiations with the United States.
So why did India refuse to take part in the discussions or endorse the SCO’s position on Israel’s attacks? Is India backing Israel? And what is at stake for these countries?This follows two rounds of direct military conflict between Iran and Israel in 2024, which were triggered by Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and subsequent Iranian retaliation.
Iranian authorities said Israeli attacks since Friday have targeted residential and military areas in Tehran and in many other cities across the country, killing at least 80 people, including civilians. Several Iranian nuclear scientists and university professors have been killed along with several top-ranking commanders of the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israeli attacks on Saturday hit refineries, power stations and oil reserves across Iran. Tehran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens. Tehran has also paused nuclear negotiations with the United States.
So why did India refuse to take part in the discussions or endorse the SCO’s position on Israel’s attacks? Is India backing Israel? And what is at stake for these countries?What did the SCO say?
The SCO, a political and security bloc founded in 2001, consists of China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is the most recent entrant, having joined the SCO under India’s chairmanship in 2023.
On Saturday, the SCO, currently chaired by China, issued a statement that said its member states “express serious concern” over the escalating Iran-Israel tensions and “strongly condemn the military strikes carried out by Israel” on the territory of Iran.
The SCO statement further noted that Israel’s “aggressive actions against civilian targets, including energy and transport infrastructure, which have resulted in civilian casualties, are a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter”.
“[Israeli attacks] constitute an infringement on Iran’s sovereignty, cause damage to regional and international security, and pose serious risks to global peace and stability,” the statement added, extending condolences to Iran’s government and people.
