US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a four-day visit to India, faced several tough questions on a wide range of topics, including the Iran war and Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism in India. Responding to Pakistan harboring the terrorists, Rubio said that India is always pointing to the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani territory that target India. The Secretary of State said, despite being concerned about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, India has not raised concerns over Islamabad’s role as a negotiator between Iran and the US. Rubio arrived in India on Saturday. He first visited Kolkata. On the same day, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He will be attending the Quad foreign ministers’ visit on Tuesday, May 26. This is Rubio’s first visit to India as Secretary of State. Rubio on Monday visited the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra along with his wife, Jeanette D Rubio. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also accompanied them during the visit.
“They’re always concerned about it, 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. 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,” Rubio said while responding to the questions.
Marco Rubio On Racism Against Indians
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday reiterated his stance of how “people say stupid stuff” when asked about racist comments targeting Indians in the United States, following a question raised at a press conference in the national capital on Sunday.
Clarifying his response, Rubio said he was referring to online comments and suggested that some of them could be posted by trolls or bots.
#WATCH | Delhi: When asked if the Indian side expressed any concerns regarding Pakistan playing the role of a mediator in the US-Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, “They’re always concerned about, obviously. India is always pointing to the fact that there are… pic.twitter.com/qTojow1Fqh
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2026
Noting that he did not know the exact context of the question being referred to, Rubio said he assumed it was about online activity.
“I assumed that he was talking about people posting stuff online. Some of those could be a troll, a bot,” he said.
He further reiterated that such behaviour is not unique to any one country. “People say stupid stuff all the time on social media and in every country in the world, unfortunately,” Rubio added.
In his remarks, Rubio also emphasised that the United States remains a welcoming country and said that offensive comments made by individuals should not be seen as reflective of the nation as a whole.
Marco Rubio On India-US Relations
He further emphasised the strength of US-India relations, stating that the American President holds India in high regard and shares a strong rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The President loves India, and is a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn’t be here if the President didn’t want me to be here. He wouldn’t have sent someone like Sergio to be our ambassador, someone who’s very close to the President,” Rubio said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday strongly defended the United States as a welcoming country while dismissing racist comments targeting Indians in the United States as the actions of “stupid people”, saying such remarks do not reflect America’s broader character as an immigrant-friendly nation.
(With inputs from ANI)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
