NEW DELHI: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized President Donald Trump’s admiration for India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This statement came in response to inquiries regarding Trump’s earlier endorsement of derogatory comments labeling India as a “hellhole.”
Rubio stated, “I wouldn’t be here if the president didn’t want me to be here. He cares – he wouldn’t have sent someone like Sergio (Gor) to be our ambassador, someone who’s very close to the President.” He initially responded to a question during a media briefing on Sunday by noting, “there are stupid people everywhere who say dumb things.” However, on Monday, U.S. media pointed out that the question specifically referenced Trump’s endorsement of the unsavory remark.
During discussions, Rubio revealed that the matter of U.S. mediation regarding Pakistan in the context of the Iran conflict was not raised by India during his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. He commented, “India is always pointing to the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani territory that target India. There are always concerns about that.”
He added that India’s concerns regarding Pakistan were separate from any mediation talks over Iran, stating, “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 they were complaining about that.”
Regarding U.S.-Iran negotiations, Rubio noted that a viable agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz was under discussion, suggesting potential positive developments in the near future. However, he clarified that Trump was not rushing the process. “He’s not going to make a bad deal, and the president’s not going to make a bad agreement. So let’s see what happens. We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives,” he said.
