Marco Rubio says India-US trade deal weeks away, highlights Quad and rare earths cooperation
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Marco Rubio says India-US trade deal weeks away, highlights Quad and rare earths cooperation")
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to testify during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2026 in Washington, DC Photograph: (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says India and the US are weeks away from finalising a bilateral trade agreement. He also highlighted Quad cooperation, maritime security, and rare earth mineral partnerships.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Wednesday that a trade agreement between US and Iran is close. While responding to the questions in the House Foreign Affairs Committee about his recent India visit, Rubio said that Washington and New Delhi were only weeks away from concluding a highly anticipated comprehensive bilateral trade agreement. He repeatedly highlighted that India is an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, signalling growing momentum in economic ties between the world's largest and oldest democracies.
The prospective deal builds on the framework established under the Trump administration, following recent friction regarding import tariffs and purchases of Russian oil. “The hopes that we can wrap up the negotiations on our trade agreement, which we think were a few weeks away from being able to conclude”, Rubio said, adding that “both sides want to see it done”.
Rubio also added that the meeting was an important for a significant meeting of the Quad alliance, between India, Australia, Japan and the United States in the Indian Pacific. He said that the alliance is moving beyond dialogues towards concrete projects, including enhanced maritime cooperation.
“One of the things we’ve agreed to work on is domain awareness, working together and pooling our resources so that we can have domain awareness about what’s happening out in the sea,” said Rubio, highlighting the need to monitor shipping routes, undersea cables, and sanctioned vessels.
“We held a rare Earths ministerial that was attended by over 30 countries from around the world, all of which were signing up for an American-led effort to ensure that critical supplies of rare earth minerals around the world are available for our emerging economies, and we don’t remain overly dependent on China,” said Rubio referncing a recent rare earths ministerial that brought together more than 30 countries.
Trending Stories
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
On May 26, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally signed the Strategic Critical Minerals Cooperation Framework at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Rubio highlighted the “Pax Silica”, an initiative of 14 countries on rare-earth materials to decrease reliance on China and supply chain independence that are critical for the future development of Artificial Intelligence, which Washington views as increasingly important for economic and national security.
