Marco Rubio: PM Modi and President Pezeshkian met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, their first interaction since the US-Iran conflict disrupted global supply chains and pushed up crude oil prices. Modi said on X that India remained committed to strengthening its long-standing friendship with Iran and wanted to expand and diversify bilateral trade.
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What Rubio Actually Said
Speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio, Rubio was asked directly about the Modi-Pezeshkian meeting. He said he did not believe India and Iran were negotiating a trade deal, adding that countries are free to shape their own foreign policy and that many nations maintain contact with Tehran.
The Warning Behind The Statement
Rubio then turned pointed. He said no country should be helping Iran evade sanctions or helping it build revenue channels that could fund terrorism or a nuclear weapons programme. He added that any country found doing so would face sanctions itself.
Part Of A Wider US Pressure Campaign
The remarks come amid the Trump administration’s Operation Economic Outcast, launched on August 24 by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who described it as an economic offensive aimed at cutting off Iran’s financial lifelines. Washington has been closely tracking Tehran’s economic and diplomatic ties with other nations since the campaign began.
India’s Balancing Act
Marco Rubio: Modi has also invited Pezeshkian to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit scheduled for September 12 and 13. Pezeshkian reportedly thanked India for its engagement and urged New Delhi to use its diplomatic standing to ease regional tensions, placing India in the middle of a delicate balancing act between Washington and Tehran.
