US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington could help diversify India's energy supply amid rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per an official release by the US government.
The meeting, which took place in New Delhi on Saturday spanned over key topics like the Iran war, Hormuz disruption, energy security, along with trade and defense ties between India and US. Rubio conveyed an invitation from President Donald Trump for Modi to visit the White House, according to the press relase.
During the meeting, Rubio said the US would not allow Iran to “hold the global energy market hostage” and pitched American energy exports as a way for India to reduce supply vulnerabilities amid ongoing disruptions linked to the Iran conflict.
Notably, the US secy on Thursday had said, "We want to sell India as much energy as it will buy." The comments came at a juncture when America has been receiving a lot of Venezuelan oil across its refineries.
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Rubio has also announced that Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez will be visiting New Delhi next week, indicating that America's plans for energy supply to India may involve Venezuela's crude oil.
The talks come as India, one of the world's largest crude importers, grapples with elevated energy security concerns and volatility in global oil markets tied to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
The American leader and Modi also reviewed broader bilateral cooperation, including trade, defense and critical technologies. The two sides discussed progress under the “Mission 500” initiative aimed at doubling US-India trade to $500 billion by 2030.
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The two leaders additionally discussed the Indo-Pacific and the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which India is set to host later this year. Rubio said he looked forward to advancing cooperation with India, Australia and Japan in support of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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