The United States works with many countries at a “tactical” level, but those relations will not disturb the strategic partnership with India, said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New Delhi on Sunday (May 24).

Addressing a joint press conference at the Hyderabad House lawns, Mr. Rubio said the idea of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” goes beyond the Indo-Pacific to other “international waters” and accused Iran of blocking the Strait of Hormuz while sponsoring proxy terror groups.

Also Read: Marco Rubio in India LIVE updates – May 24, 2026

Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged the disruption to supply chains because of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and said that both India and the U.S. have “very strong interest” to ensure “safe and unimpeded maritime commerce”.

“As far as our relations with other countries, yeah, we have relations, and we work at the tactical level, for example, and in many other ways with countries all over the world. So does India. That’s what responsible nation states do, but I don’t view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India…,” he said. Mr. Rubio was responding in the press conference to a question on the Pakistan-U.S. ties that are being discussed worldwide because of the prominent role that Pakistan has been playing in bringing the conflict in the Gulf to a pause.

Mr. Rubio, who arrived in India for a four-day visit on Saturday, held a day-long meeting with Mr. Jaishankar and other officials of the Indian side that included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in which energy, bilateral trade, and visa issues for skilled Indian workers were among the items discussed.

Mr. Rubio’s visit to India is the first by a senior U.S. official since the war on Iran was launched on February 28 with a decapitating strike that killed Ayatollah Khamenei and his close family members alongside several top military figures of Iran. The U.S. and Israel had described “regime change” in Iran as the aim of the war at that time. Mr. Rubio, however, claimed that the war had “clear goals” and accordingly, the U.S. military campaign has destroyed Iran’s navy and “long-range” missile capability, saying “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon”.

While giving early hints about a U.S.-Iran diplomatic solution that would formally pause the current Gulf war, Mr. Rubio accused Iran of sponsoring “proxy groups of terrorists” and called Tehran the “world’s leading sponsor of terrorism”. He focused on the chokehold that Iran has sustained on the Strait of Hormuz from the beginning of the war in an asymmetric retaliatory move, triggering a global energy crisis that has hurt growing economies, including India.

“And look what they’re doing now. They are holding hostage civilian vessels, including ships that have now been stuck in the Persian Gulf. They’ve laid mines in an international waterway. And yet, despite all of that, the United States remains committed to finding a peaceful, diplomatic solution to this crisis,” said Mr. Rubio. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who visited New Delhi earlier this month for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, had said the Strait of Hormuz falls within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and that “there is no international waters in between.”

The visiting dignitary and Mr. Jaishankar both referred to the challenges that have emerged in the energy market in recent months and sought an end to the stalemate. ”We are working on having an open Strait of Hormuz without tolls,” Mr. Rubio said, contradicting Iranian officials who had claimed in Delhi that Iran would start charging money from the transiting ships for the services that it provides in the Strait.

Mr. Jaishankar outlined India’s varied interests covering strategic and energy domains. India is among “very few countries” that have “very strong relations” with the U.S., Israel, Iran and the Gulf countries, he said. However, he cited the “current situation in Hormuz’ and said that to deal with the prevailing risks, it is necessary to diversify India’s energy supplies. “Where India is concerned, look, this is an era of de-risking and probably energy, more than anything else, requires de-risking… A big country, if you are to do de-risking, looks at multiple sourcing, and for us, the United States has emerged as a very significant and reliable source of energy, as indeed have some other countries.”

Responding to a question on the Trump administration taking a tough line on trade relations with India, Mr. Rubio said it was not aimed at India alone and that it was a general trade policy that the Trump administration came up with to counter the “outsourcing-based” economy of previous U.S. administrations.

Mr. Rubio started his visit by landing in Kolkata, where he paid tributes at the Missionaries of Charity that was founded by the Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa, and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He invited him to the United States on behalf of President Donald Trump. He thanked the diplomatic staff and U.S Ambassador Sergio Gor and said, “India has committed to purchasing $500 billion in U.S. goods over the next five years, focusing on energy, technology and agriculture.” Mr. Rubio also met with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The U.S. Embassy announced on Sunday evening that the meeting “focused on counterterrorism cooperation, regional stability, and strengthening U.S.-India strategic coordination in the Indo-Pacific.”

He will next visit Agra and Jaipur and return to Delhi for the Quad Ministerial Meeting, where he and Mr. Jaishankar will be joined by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on May 26.

Published – May 24, 2026 11:50 pm IST

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (May 24, 2026) described the United States as a “welcoming country” and termed the racist comments made against Indians as the actions of “stupid” people.

Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, Mr. Rubio stated that he takes such comments very seriously.

Marco Rubio in India LIVE updates – May 24, 2026

On being asked about racist remarks against Indians in the U.S., he responded: “I don’t know how to address that, but I’ll take that very seriously about the comments. Look, I’m sure that there are people who have made comments online and other places because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States who make dumb comments all the time.”

“I don’t know what else to tell you other than that the United States is a very welcoming country. Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country, have come from all over the world, have become Americans, have assimilated into our way of life and have contributed greatly. So, that’s all I can comment on that in regard to your point,” he added.

Highlighting the contribution of the Indian community in the U.S. economy, Mr. Rubio said: “Over 20 billion dollars have been invested in the U.S. economy by Indian companies. We want that number to continue to increase, and obviously, the expertise as well that they’ve provided to our economy has been very, very valuable.”

Modernisation of U.S. migration system ‘not India-specific’

Mr. Rubio also stated that the U.S. is modernising its migration system and changes in immigration policy were applied across the world and “not India-specific.”

On concerns about the recent changes in J1 visa, F1, H-1B visa and his message to Indians in this regard, Mr. Rubio said: “The changes that are happening now, or the modernisation of our migration system into the United States, is not focused, is not India-specific. It is global; it’s being applied across the world.”

“We’ve had a migratory crisis in the United States. This is not because of India, but broadly, we had over 20 million people illegally enter the United States over the last few years, and we’ve had to address that challenge. In addition to that challenge, and I think this is true for India, this is true for every country in the world… Everything that you do as a country needs to be in your national interest, and that includes your immigration policy.”

He noted that immigration has enriched the country, but stressed that the system must be adjusted with changing times. “The United States, I believe, is the most welcoming country in the world for immigration. Every single year, a million people roughly become permanent residents of the United States and contribute greatly. My parents entered the United States as permanent residents in 1956 from Cuba and so it’s a process that’s enriched us, but it has to be a process that’s adjusted in every era to the realities of the modern times in which you live, and we are, and it’s long overdue,” he added.

Mr. Rubio further stated that the system that will be implemented after the process will be more efficient and better than the previous system.

“The United States is currently undergoing a process of reforming the system by which we choose how many people come into our country, who comes in, when they come in, etc. Anytime you undertake a reform, anytime you undertake a change in the system by which you admit people, or frankly anytime you undertake a reform in any system, not just on immigration, there are going to be, there’s going to be a period of transition that’s going to create, you know, some friction points and some difficulties and so forth,” he said.

“Ultimately, we think that when this process is in place, once this process has been modernised, and that’s really what it is. We are modernising the U.S. immigration system for the 21st century so that it is an immigration system that’s not just good for America, but it’s also good for the people that are coming,” he added.

“So I just don’t… what I want to clear is that the changes, while they may be having a disproportionate impact on a place like India that provides so many high-skilled workers to the U.S. economy, it is not a system that is targeted at India. It is one that’s being applied globally. But we’re in a period of transition, and like any period of transition, there’s going to be some bumps on that road. But we think ultimately our destination is going to be a better system, a more efficient system, one that works better than the one that we had embraced previously and more sustainable by the way,” he reiterated.

Published – May 24, 2026 04:33 pm IST

In a post on X, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, “Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”.

In a post on X, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, “Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”.

U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor (L) welcoming U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubioin Kolkata on May 23, 2026. Photo: X/@USAmbIndia

U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor (L) welcoming U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubioin Kolkata on May 23, 2026. Photo: X/@USAmbIndia

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, left, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, centre, and U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor after their meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2026. Photo credit: X/@USAmbIndia