India had claimed in the official Ministry Of External Affairs press release that the military action of the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq lacks justification due to disharmony within the United Nations Security Council and cited reports which said military action was avoidable. India hinted that it would consider sending troops to post-war Iraq to help maintain security and peace after a unanimous vote in the UN Security Council over the Coalition's presence and mission in Iraq. However this was ruled out after protests from public and political parties which have been opposing USA. It normalised its ties with the new democratically elected government of Iraq in 2005, seeking to restart trade and co-operation. Indian businesses applied for contracts for reconstruction projects to the Iraqi government, and more recently the activities of Iraqi businesses in India have been growing rapidly.