US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington must maintain its relationship with Pakistan, citing the country’s geographic importance and its nuclear weapons. Speaking to India’s Network18 during his visit to India, Rubio said engaging Islamabad remained an essential part of American foreign policy and could even help address India’s own security concerns.
“It’s a country that we have to have a relationship with. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons. It’s a country that, from a geographic standpoint, we need to be able to interact with it in much the same way as the government of India has to have and has a relationship and meets with leaders from Iran,” Rubio said.
His remarks came while Washington and New Delhi were discussing bilateral trade, defence cooperation and regional security. Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of balancing such relationships but said they remained a necessary part of how Washington conducted its foreign policy.
“And I think in a way it could be a positive thing, because if we have a relationship and we can speak to them, it could perhaps put us in a position to help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about,” he added.
Rubio Pakistan ties framed as a necessity, not a choice
Rubio drew a direct parallel with India’s own diplomacy, noting that New Delhi maintains ties with Tehran despite its differences with Iran. He said his new role required him to manage relationships even with countries where Washington had disagreements.
“In my new role, I’m no longer a senator. I’m the secretary of state. I have to manage the foreign policy of the US, and that does require us to have relationships with countries, including those that we may have some disagreements with,” he said.
The comments are significant because they were made on Indian soil, where any mention of Pakistan is closely watched. Rather than treating the relationship as a concession, Rubio presented it as a strategic requirement rooted in geography and Pakistan’s nuclear capability.
What it means for Pakistan
For Pakistan, the statement lands at a moment when Islamabad is working to turn recent diplomatic goodwill into lasting influence. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran this week, where he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior leaders, has reopened the Pakistan-Iran border and positioned Pakistan as a channel between Washington and Tehran, as reported in our Munir-Pezeshkian meeting coverage.
Rubio’s own argument for engagement gains weight from that record. Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran in April 2026 after war broke out between the two countries in February, and hosted follow-up talks in Islamabad. With Iran now ruling out talks with the US under threats, Washington needs credible intermediaries, and Pakistan is actively playing that role.
The thaw in US-Pakistan ties has been building for months. President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Pakistan and India during their brief war, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his mediation, and Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s leadership, describing Field Marshal Munir as his “favourite field marshal”.
Islamabad now wants to convert that goodwill into economic gains, including a more favourable trade agreement with Washington, tariff concessions and expanded market access for Pakistani exports. Rubio’s public defence of the relationship gives that effort a helpful tailwind.
The regional security picture adds another layer. Pakistan has also deepened its defence partnerships this year, signing the Makkah defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye and the Badr defence cooperation accord with Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia. Washington’s willingness to keep Islamabad close fits that pattern of overlapping security ties.
FAQ
Why did Rubio mention Pakistan’s nuclear weapons?
Rubio cited Pakistan’s nuclear capability alongside its geography as two reasons the US needs a working relationship with Islamabad. He said Washington must be able to interact with Pakistan “from a geographic standpoint”.
What did Rubio say about India’s ties with Iran?
He compared the US need to engage Pakistan with India’s own practice of meeting Iranian leaders, arguing that both were necessary parts of managing regional foreign policy.
How have US-Pakistan relations changed recently?
The relationship has warmed since Trump mediated a Pakistan-India ceasefire. Shehbaz Sharif nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump praised Pakistan’s military leadership, and Pakistan brokered a US-Iran ceasefire in April 2026. Islamabad is now seeking tariff concessions and better market access.
