NEW DELHI: United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday (May 24), as the two sides discussed the Middle East, trade, visas, maritime security and energy supplies, while Washington cited progress on efforts to resolve the Iran conflict.
Rubio said progress had been made in the past 48 hours on an outline that could help resolve the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and added there was a possibility of “good news” in the next few hours.
He reiterated that Iran could never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and said attacks on commercial vessels were “totally illegal”.
The discussions come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and concerns over shipping lanes and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.
Jaishankar said India and the US had common interests and shared challenges, and that India supported safe maritime passage.
He said the two sides also discussed efforts to conclude a bilateral trade deal at an early date and visa-related challenges faced by Indian workers.