The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India on Sunday (May 24, 2026), rejected the recent remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and emphasised that such allegations constitute a clear attempt to distort the realities of the region and to deflect attention from destabilising policies of the U.S. and the Zionist regime.

The statement was issued by Iran’s Embassy in India in response to Mr. Rubio’s remarks on talks with Iran.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently on a four-day visit to India. “Iran can never have nuclear weapons,” Mr. Rubio said, speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Saturday (May 23, 2026).

Mr. Rubio, who is on a visit to India, said: “They need to turn over their enriched Iranian, they need to turn over the highly enriched uranium. If we need to address that issue, we need to address the issue of enrichment. These are the President’s points consistently.”

The statement said “As one of the world’s major exporters of oil and energy, Iran has always been prepared to make its energy resources available to all countries, including India. What has held the global energy market hostage over recent years has been the unlawful and unjust sanctions imposed by U.S. on Iran’s oil exports; sanctions that have been designed and enforced in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, with the aim of exerting economic pressure on the Iranian nation.”

“Oil sanctions represent only a small part of the broader pattern of hostile measures and pressures that the U.S. government has imposed on the Iranian people over the past 47 years. These measures have even included pharmaceutical sanctions and restrictions on Iranian patients’ access to essential medicines and vital medical equipment, which have regrettably endangered the lives of many innocent patients and caused widespread human suffering,” the statement said.

“Iran further underlines that what is currently disrupting and threatening maritime security and the passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are the military, provocative, and adventurist actions of the United States and the Zionist regime in the region. These two regimes are the principal drivers behind the escalation of global security and energy crises and seek to advance their political and military objectives through the creation of instability and insecurity,” it added.

The statement added “With regard to the claims made by the U.S. Secretary of State concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran once again recalls that, as a committed member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), it has consistently declared that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA itself has thus far neither observed nor reported any diversion in Iran’s nuclear activities.”

“Iran considers the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people and emphasizes that it will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognized right,” the statement said.

The statement further said “There is no doubt that the Iranian nation, through its courageous resistance and historic steadfastness in the face of aggression and pressure by U.S. and the Zionist regime, has emerged as the true victor of this unequal war. The United States and the Zionist regime launched military aggression against our country with the objective of changing the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran; however, not only did they fail to achieve their objectives, but they were ultimately compelled, following a clear and humiliating defeat, to seek a ceasefire.”

“Today, the Armed Forces of Iran remain in full readiness and, alongside the great Iranian nation, stand prepared to respond with strength, authority, and determination to any act of aggression or threat against the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of the country,” the statement concluded.

In a visit expected to shore up India-U.S. ties, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to India for bilateral talks and to attend the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM). Outlooking the visit on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he hoped to welcome Mr. Rubio to India “soon”. Sources told The Hindu that Mr. Rubio is expected to be in Delhi for a three-day visit from May 24 to 26, his first since taking over as U.S. Secretary of State last January.

“The United States deeply values our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build even stronger ties that will benefit both our nations and the world,” Mr. Gor, who is also U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special envoy for South and Central Asia, said in a post.  “See you soon, Mr. Secretary!” he added.

In a separate post after meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Mr. Gor also announced that several U.S. Governors would be visiting India in the months ahead.

Also Read | India, U.S. conclude ‘constructive’ in-person talks on trade deal, but no word on deadline

Public reception

Mr. Rubio’s visit will include a public reception in Delhi on May 24 to celebrate 250 years of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in discussions that are expected to set the course for India-U.S. ties after several ups and downs over tariffs and sanctions, as well as the impact of the war in West Asia. On Tuesday (May 5, 2026), Mr. Rubio announced that U.S. operations on Iran that were launched on February 28 had “ended”, while naval operations to forcibly open up the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian control have been “paused” while U.S.-Iran talks are on.

On May 26, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for the Quad FMM. Mr. Motegi and Ms. Wong have both visited Delhi in the past few months, and are expected to travel to India just for the Quad talks. The U.S. Secretary of State’s visit will follow a visit to Beijing by U.S. President Mr. Trump, tentatively expected on May 14-15, and Mr. Rubio is expected to brief his Quad counterparts about the outcomes of that visit as well. All eyes will be on whether the Quad meet agrees on a date for the Summit, which the government hopes to hold later this year, after trying unsuccessfully to host it for the past two years. In particular, a visit to India by Mr. Trump, who faces mid-term elections in November, will be key to scheduling the Summit.

Also Read | Discussed ways to build strong future of India-U.S. ties: U.S. envoy Gor on meeting with Trump

Indian and U.S. officials are also expected to review the progress in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) during Mr. Rubio’s visit. Although an interim agreement was announced by Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi after a phone call in February this year, it has missed several finalisation deadlines, and remains unfinished due to uncertainty over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Mr. Trump’s “liberation day tariffs”.

On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), the U.S. government announced that investments promised by Indian businesses during a “Select USA” were the single largest by any country in 2026.

“Historic deals in tech, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals announced today have unlocked over $20.5 billion in investment. This is a record-breaking moment,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on social media.

In a visit expected to shore up India-U.S. ties, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to India for bilateral talks and to attend the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM). Outlooking the visit on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he hoped to welcome Mr. Rubio to India “soon”. Sources told The Hindu that Mr. Rubio is expected to be in Delhi for a three-day visit from May 24 to 26, his first since taking over as U.S. Secretary of State last January.

“The United States deeply values our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build even stronger ties that will benefit both our nations and the world,” Mr. Gor, who is also U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special envoy for South and Central Asia, said in a post.  “See you soon, Mr. Secretary!” he added.

In a separate post after meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Mr. Gor also announced that several U.S. Governors would be visiting India in the months ahead.

Also Read | India, U.S. conclude ‘constructive’ in-person talks on trade deal, but no word on deadline

Public reception

Mr. Rubio’s visit will include a public reception in Delhi on May 24 to celebrate 250 years of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in discussions that are expected to set the course for India-U.S. ties after several ups and downs over tariffs and sanctions, as well as the impact of the war in West Asia. On Tuesday (May 5, 2026), Mr. Rubio announced that U.S. operations on Iran that were launched on February 28 had “ended”, while naval operations to forcibly open up the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian control have been “paused” while U.S.-Iran talks are on.

On May 26, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for the Quad FMM. Mr. Motegi and Ms. Wong have both visited Delhi in the past few months, and are expected to travel to India just for the Quad talks. The U.S. Secretary of State’s visit will follow a visit to Beijing by U.S. President Mr. Trump, tentatively expected on May 14-15, and Mr. Rubio is expected to brief his Quad counterparts about the outcomes of that visit as well. All eyes will be on whether the Quad meet agrees on a date for the Summit, which the government hopes to hold later this year, after trying unsuccessfully to host it for the past two years. In particular, a visit to India by Mr. Trump, who faces mid-term elections in November, will be key to scheduling the Summit.

Also Read | Discussed ways to build strong future of India-U.S. ties: U.S. envoy Gor on meeting with Trump

Indian and U.S. officials are also expected to review the progress in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) during Mr. Rubio’s visit. Although an interim agreement was announced by Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi after a phone call in February this year, it has missed several finalisation deadlines, and remains unfinished due to uncertainty over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Mr. Trump’s “liberation day tariffs”.

On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), the U.S. government announced that investments promised by Indian businesses during a “Select USA” were the single largest by any country in 2026.

“Historic deals in tech, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals announced today have unlocked over $20.5 billion in investment. This is a record-breaking moment,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on social media.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in the next few months, U.S. Envoy to India Sergio Gor said on Friday (February 20, 2026).

“I don’t have exact dates, but Secretary Rubio will be travelling to India very soon, in a matter of months. And so that’ll be part of the Quad, along with many other initiatives,” Mr. Gor said on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Follow | India AI Summit 2026 Day 5 LIVE

He also described the Quad (Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue comprising India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia) coalition as an important grouping for cooperation among its member states.

Further, the Ambassador said that the India-U.S. trade deal is set to be inked soon, taking bilateral ties to the next level

Mr. Gor made the remarks after a signing ceremony of the Pax Silica Declaration where India agreed to join the U.S.-led coalition aimed at building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence.