Rubio delivers invitation to PM from Trump to visit US, says US won’t allow Iran to hold energy market hostage

NEW DELHI: After the roller coaster of the past 12 months, the US and India looked to steady the relationship with visiting Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on PM Narendra Modi and delivering an invitation from President Donald Trump to visit the US “in the near future”.

As the 2 sides discussed the situation in West Asia, according to a US readout, Rubio emphasised that the US will not let Iran hold the global energy market hostage and affirmed that US energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply.



Speaking at a US embassy event later, Rubio, who will participate in the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, also said that the India-US relationship is “at the cornerstone of our approach to the Indo-Pacific".

The announcement about the invitation was made by US ambassador Sergio Gor who accompanied Rubio to what he described as a “productive” discussion with Modi on ways to deepen US-India cooperation across security, trade, and critical technologies - areas that strengthen “both our nations and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific".

While India is open to the idea of Modi travelling to the US, it’s learnt that the government will wait to hear more from Washington about the likely scheduling of the visit. Modi is likely to travel to Florida in any case for the G20 summit that the US will host in December this year. Officials were tight-lipped about what the invitation might mean for the Quad summit for which Trump’s presence in India is long awaited. The Indian readout or Modi himself didn't mention the invitation.

“India is a vital partner to the United States,” said Gor in a post on X after the meeting. Rubio said he also discussed energy and efforts to secure supply chains with Modi.

According to an Indian readout, Rubio also briefed Modi about the US perspective on regional and global issues, including the situation in West Asia. It said that Modi reiterated India’s consistent support for peace efforts and its call for peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. Rubio’s visit is taking place amid hectic efforts to secure a US-Iran peace agreement, and the threat of imminent American military action should these attempts fail.

“Happy to receive the US Secretary of State, Mr. Marco Rubio. We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security. India and the United States will continue to work closely for the global good,” said Modi in a post on X.

The Indian readout also said that Rubio briefed Modi about the “sustained progress in bilateral cooperation” across a wide range of sectors, including defence, strategic technologies, trade and investment, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties.

Rubio began his India visit from Kolkata in the morning, before arriving in Delhi in time for the scheduled meeting with Modi later in the afternoon. His bilateral meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar is scheduled for Sunday.

At the US embassy event, he recalled that his first assignment as secretary of state was a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers. “And we were going to renew that.

We wanted to do it here, not just because of our commitment to that structure of work, but also as a tangible sign of what an important role India plays in the United States, and in our posture, and in our approach to the Indo-Pacific,” said Rubio, adding that this commitment was anchored in the relationship between Modi and Trump.
“The connection between leaders is incredibly important. These are two very serious leaders that are focused not just on the short term, but on the long term. And so, I think that that is important to note, because it's a key part of the foundation of the relationship between our countries,” added Rubio, underlining the significance of $ 20 billion investment commitment from Indian companies in the US and deepening of the security partnership through military exercises in the Indo-Pacific.