“India’s issue with Pakistan is different”: Marco Rubio talks about Islamabad’s mediating role in the US-Iran war

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that India has always been “concerned” about Pakistan but has not raised any concerns about Islamabad’s role as a mediator.

Rubio, who is in India on a four-day visit that includes attending the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, was speaking to reporters when asked whether New Delhi had raised any objections to Pakistan’s role as a mediator.

In response to the question, Rubio said that while India has long indicated the presence of armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil, it has not raised objections to Islamabad’s role as a mediator.

“They are always concerned about that. Obviously, India always points out the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil targeting India. They are always concerned about that. But in terms of the role they played as a mediator and facilitator in the Iranian situation, that has never been mentioned. I don’t think they will complain about that. I mean their issue with Pakistan is different.”

Rubio, who is making his first official visit to India as Secretary of State, described India as “one of the United States’ most important strategic partners” and a “leading trading partner,” while seeking to dispel perceptions that bilateral relations have lost momentum over the past year.

“I think the relationship remains strong, and in fact, I think by the end of this administration, it will be stronger than it has ever been,” he said at a joint news conference.

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Rubio also sidestepped a question from Hizb ut-Tahrir regarding India’s concerns about the US administration’s renewed engagement with Pakistan’s military leadership, saying: “In terms of our relationships with other countries — we have relationships and we work at the tactical level, for example, and in many other ways with countries around the world. And so does India. And that’s what responsible nation states do.”

“But I do not see that our relationship with any country in the world comes at the expense of our strategic alliance with India.”

Rubio’s schedule includes a visit to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Jaipur on Monday, after which he will return to New Delhi to attend the Quartet meeting on Tuesday.

Islamabad continued to intensify its efforts to facilitate a broader agreement between the two sides. In his latest move, Pakistan’s army chief recently visited Tehran, where discussions on a potential peace deal appear to be progressing.

As US President Donald Trump said He agreed to a ceasefire as a “favor” to PakistanWhile he praised Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“We did do a ceasefire at the request of other countries. I wasn’t really in favor of it, but we did it as a service to Pakistan – wonderful people, Field Marshal and Prime Minister,” Trump said.

The event at Bharat Mandapam was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Ambassador Sergio Gore.

In a phone conversation with Gore, Trump said: “I just want to say hello to everyone. I love the Prime Minister, (Narendra) Modi is great, he’s my friend and I just want to say good evening to everyone.”

“I am a very big fan of Prime Minister Modi,” he added.