India's Issue With Pakistan Is Terrorism, Not Islamabad's Role As Facilitator Between US And Iran: Marco Rubio

Before leaving for Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday said India’s concerns regarding Pakistan are primarily centred on cross-border terrorism and has little to do with Islamabad’s role as a mediator in the Iran peace process.

"They're always concerned about, obviously. India is always pointing to the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani territory that target India. They're always concerned about that," Rubio told reporters.

Separating the negotiations that Pakistan is facilitating between Iran and the US, he said, "But as far as the role they played as a mediator and a facilitator in the Iran situation, it never came up. I don't think that they would complain about that. I mean, their issue with Pakistan is different."

When questioned about Washington's interactions with Islamabad, Secretary Rubio sought to reassure Indian leadership by characterising US-Pakistan ties as strictly "tactical" lines of communication that will never come at the expense of America's primary strategic alliance with India.

This position builds on the diplomatic framework Rubio established during the severe cross-border escalation in May 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack. At that time, Rubio held direct, separate communications with both New Delhi and Islamabad, where he formally reiterated Washington's solidarity with India's anti-terror operations while explicitly pressing the Pakistani leadership to completely dismantle state-supported proxy infrastructure and halt cross-border violence.

Secretary Rubio is in India to repair strained bilateral ties between India and the US, advance a long-pending reciprocal trade agreement and discuss global energy security amid supply chain disruptions. He also led the US delegation at the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi to reinforce maritime security and counter regional influence in the Indo-Pacific.