US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Monday (May 25, 2026), said Washington had made “significant progress” in its talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even as he stressed President Donald Trump was cautious on accepting a “bad deal” with Tehran.
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar pressed for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict, while supporting unimpeded maritime trade and opposing “weaponisation” of commerce.
Rubio told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Agra that discussions between the US and Iran were continuing and there were expectations of possible forward movement soon.
“Work is still in progress. We thought we might have some news last night…maybe today,” he said, adding that a framework was being discussed on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme would continue in a time-bound manner.
“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of getting the Strait open and entering into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiations on the nuclear matters,” he said.
Rubio said many nations supported efforts to restore stability and ensure uninterrupted maritime trade in the region, adding that Trump was committed to diplomacy but would not enter into an agreement that compromises American interests.
“As the President said, he’s not in a hurry; he’s not going to make a bad deal,” Rubio said, adding the US would continue giving diplomacy “every chance to succeed” before considering alternative options.
Rubio also reiterated Washington’s long-standing position that Iran should never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. “No one has been more serious about the threat of a nuclear Iran than President Trump has been,” he said.
The US Secretary of State expressed confidence that negotiations would either lead to a strong agreement or compel the US to pursue other measures.
Jaishankar had, on Sunday (May 24), outlined India’s five-point approach on key regional and global issues, stressing that New Delhi advocated dialogue and diplomacy for conflict resolution, supported uninterrupted maritime commerce, and strongly opposed the weaponisation of trade and resources.
Addressing a joint press briefing with Rubio after delegation-level talks held at Hyderabad House, Jaishankar said India and the United States continue to maintain regular engagement and strategic coordination across a broad range of sectors.
“This is the Secretary’s first visit to India, but ever since he assumed office, we have remained in regular touch. This has included meetings in Washington, D.C., and New York, as well as interactions on the sidelines of other events, the most recent being in France,” Jaishankar said.
“We have had continuous engagement, which has helped oversee the broad-based and growing cooperation between our two nations,” he said, highlighting the political understanding between New Delhi and Washington.
The External Affairs Minister said the India-US strategic partnership is built on converging interests in several areas of mutual importance. “In terms of the political understanding between India and the US, we have a strategic partnership that emanates from a convergence of national interests in many areas,” he said.
“First, we advocate dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts. Second, we support safe and unimpeded maritime commerce. Third, we demand scrupulous respect for international law. Fourth, we oppose the weaponisation of market shares and resources. And fifth, we believe in the value of trusted partnerships and resilient supply chains to de-risk the global economy,” the External Affairs Minister said.
He said that during his own meeting with Rubio, discussions were held on developments in West Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and East Asia, along with deliberations related to his recent visit to the Caribbean region.
On defence and strategic cooperation, Jaishankar referred to the recently renewed 10-year major defence partnership framework agreement between India and the United States. He also highlighted the signing of a comprehensive underwater domain awareness roadmap.
“We discussed the importance of taking into account the ‘Make in India’ approach and lessons drawn from recent conflicts while moving forward in the defence domain,” he added.
Rubio also met with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Sunday (May 24) when the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in defence, security, and technology.
In an X post, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said discussions also focused on both sides reiterating the high priority accorded to the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and reviewing ongoing collaboration.
“The two NSAs reiterated the high priority accorded to the bilateral Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues,” the MEA post read.