External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday sought to reinforce India-US ties while pledging deeper cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and stronger coordination within the Quad grouping amid growing tensions in West Asia.
At a joint press conference in New Delhi, both leaders underlined the importance of strategic cooperation on critical minerals, supply chains, artificial intelligence, maritime security and defence ties.
“All of you know the importance of critical minerals. Our two nations have been cooperating bilaterally in the Quad format and also as a like-minded group. India joined the Pax Silica and is part of the Forge initiative. The AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February highlighted the enormous potential of the India-US relationship. And we will naturally be encouraging our businesses dealing with AI,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar said the Indo-Pacific would take centre stage during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 26, which India will chair in New Delhi. Foreign ministers from Australia and Japan are also expected to attend the meeting.
He said the Indo-Pacific would become increasingly important for both India and the United States as trade and energy ties deepen.
“I see Indo-Pacific gaining importance in salience in the coming days,” Jaishankar said, adding that the Quad would receive a further boost from its member nations, which he described as maritime democracies.
Rubio described the Quad as an “important mechanism” for global cooperation and said the four member countries could jointly “influence global events.”
“We have a mutual interest on both countries as strategic allies on the idea that access to critical minerals and supply chains are essential issue in the 21st century,” Rubio said. “The overconcentration of reliance on a single source for anything, particularly things that are vital for our economies is one of the great challenges of the 21st century and we are strategically aligned on that.”
Rubio also said India and the US were discussing regional security challenges emerging in the Indo-Pacific, including tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
He stressed the importance of keeping international waterways and airspace open for global commerce.
“We share as a strategic value the fact that no international waterway, no international airspace should ever be used or nationalised by any one country,” Rubio said.
The talks also covered defence cooperation and ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries. India and the US had signed a foundational framework for an interim agreement in February 2026 aimed at reaching a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement.
“Where defence and security cooperation is concerned, you’re all aware that the 10-year major defence partnership framework agreement was recently renewed. A comprehensive underwater domain awareness roadmap was also signed,” Jaishankar said.
He added that both sides also discussed the importance of the “Make in India” approach and lessons from recent conflicts while expanding defence cooperation.
“On the economic front, we spoke about the value of concluding at an early date the final text of the interim agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade,” Jaishankar said.
Rubio also sharply criticised Iran during the press conference and defended the goals of “Operation Epic Fury”.
“No nation on earth sponsors more terrorism than Iran,” Rubio said, calling Tehran a “murderous regime” dependent on proxy groups.
He accused Iran of investing in militant proxies instead of improving the lives of its people and said Tehran could not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Rubio added that Iran needed to surrender its enriched uranium.
India is also expected to host the Quad Summit later this year after last year’s summit was postponed.
