The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this week, the third such engagement since U.S. President Donald Trump began his tenure, was meant to reassure all partners — India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. — that the grouping remains valid and viable, despite all the rapid geopolitical developments. To that end, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who were hosted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Delhi, agreed to firm up a number of initiatives. On Indo-Pacific maritime security, they agreed on three initiatives including one for Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC), a Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), and a Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission. They also finalised a Quad Critical Mineral cooperation initiative, an energy security partnership, and the first ever Quad infrastructural project to build a port in Fiji. The joint statement reiterated their commitment to the Quad’s geopolitical positions: a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP); respecting territorial integrity; countering cross-border terrorism; and upholding international law with a focus on UNCLOS. The statement expressed concern over the Pahalgam attack, developments in the East and South China Seas, and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Yet, there were also clear constraints on the language, which appeared to arise out of the U.S.’s new engagement with China and Russia. Quad partners decried Iranian actions in the conflict but made no mention of the U.S.-Israel’s initiation of the conflict with Iran, the U.S. torpedoing of an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean, or Washington’s talks with Tehran using Pakistan as mediator. Each of these newly developed vectors poses a challenge to Quad unity, while the lack of consultation before and during the West Asia conflict raises questions about the Quad’s relevance.