Marco Rubio in India highlights: PM Modi and Rubio discuss bilateral ties, West Asia crisis

While US President Donald Trump rarely mentions human rights, some elements of his base have expressed concern over the treatment of Christians under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making the choice of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first stop highly symbolic.

Ahead of the trip, Mr. Rubio called India a “great ally, a great partner” and said the United States would look for ways to sell it more oil.

India’s fast-growing economy is dependent on energy imports and, like many countries, was rocked by the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which resulted in the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, sending world oil prices soaring.

India has historic ties with Iran, but also a growing relationship with Israel, which Modi visited just days before the war.

But the conflict has also re-emerged as a key US partner to India’s traditional adversary Pakistan stepped in as a mediator and its powerful army chief flew to Tehran on Friday (May 22, 2026).

The United States was a partner of Pakistan in the Cold War, but increasingly distanced itself as it prioritized relations with India, seeing the world’s largest democracy as a natural partner in a global order marked by the rise of China. — AFP