‘We Are Against Terrorism Anywhere In The World’: Full Text Of Marco Rubio’s Exclusive Interview To CNN-News18 | India News

Last Updated:October 20, 2026, 21:31 IST

In his interview with CNN-News18, Rubio said the US opposes terrorism anywhere in the world and stands against anyone who sponsors it.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Mumbai for a three-day visit to India and spoke exclusively to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi. In the interview, Rubio discussed the India-US trade deal, Washington’s strategy on Iran, and key issues shaping bilateral ties.

Here is the full text of the interview:

Rahul Joshi: Secretary Rubio, thank you so much for giving this special interview to Network18, and welcome to India.

Rubio: Thank you.

Rahul Joshi: You’ve been a well-wisher of India. You are a tall global leader. This is your second visit in a matter of a few months. Last time, you were in Delhi, you went to Agra, spent some quality time here. This time, you’ve skipped Delhi, you’ve come to Mumbai, and you’re going to Jamnagar. What is the significance of this visit? What are you trying to achieve here?

Rubio: Well, this is a big country, it’s an important country, and I think, like any big country, I say, people, if you want to learn and see what’s happening in the United States, you can’t just go to Washington. You should probably try to go somewhere in the South, maybe somewhere on the West Coast, and you probably need to get to New York, to Chicago. And so, for us, I mean, I don’t pretend that in my time as Secretary of State I’ll get to see all of India or learn about every region, but I think it’s important to see a country of this size and magnitude and to learn as much about it as you can.

Mumbai, in particular, is the financial heart and soul of the country. It’s where so many of the companies that are investing in and with the United States, and that we want to do more trade with, are located. It’s the financial lifeblood of the country. So, it’s logical to come here, and obviously, I look forward to coming back and seeing the country again. I told our media earlier today, when they were asking why we were here, you know, that media wants us to go to other parts of the world sometimes, not here. I said we actually don’t come here enough if you think about the importance of this relationship.

So now, I’m glad I’m here. But I’m glad there’s a congressional delegation in town at the same time, and I know we’ve sent people here… the Attorney General’s been here, the Commerce Secretary’s been here, and I expect to be back.

Rahul Joshi: Since we are in Mumbai, it’s the commercial capital. Let’s get down to business. The trade deal between India and the US. Today, you said it is very, very close. How close is close?

Rubio: I felt that way before, and with these deals, it’s always important that everything be totally agreed upon, every detail of it, before it’s announced, because you can’t afford for a relationship of this magnitude to be threatened by announcing a deal and it turning out that the deal wasn’t finalised. But it’s incredibly close. I think we are down to some technical details that need to be worked out. Technical details matter because there has to be an agreement, and both sides have to agree that the language means the same thing. So, it’s down to that level.

I’m not personally negotiating it; it’s done through our trade representative. But I know, and I’ve been very involved in watching it happen, that it is something we anticipate seeing in a matter of weeks, not months.

Rahul Joshi: And do you think that India can expect some better rates, you know, than others?

Rubio: Well, obviously, the purpose of making a deal is to have better rates than what you have now, but the more important thing is about ensuring that our trade relationship is sustainable in the long term. Look, the foreign policy of the United States, the trade policy of the United States, is driven by a recognition that every country has national interests. We fully expect not just India, but every country we interact with, to defend and fight for what’s good for them, and we’re going to fight for what’s good for us.

The difference is, when you are friends, when you are allies, when you have so much in common, that’s what allows you to bridge those differences and come up with something that’s mutually beneficial. For a trade deal with India, or any country for that matter, to be sustainable in the long term, it has to be an agreement that is good for both sides.

There are things that you’re not going to like in it, but the preponderance of it is good for you. And that’s what we aim to achieve here, and I can’t wait till we do it because we have so many things we can work together on.

Rahul Joshi: Mr Secretary, America imposes tariffs and sanctions on countries like India for buying Russian oil, but America itself is buying diesel from Russia to cool pump prices, probably ahead of the midterms. How do you see this change and the shift in strategy, and how do you explain this broader picture?

Rubio: Well, what’s interesting about it is, and I’m not saying the war in Ukraine is not important, it is, it’s something that’s now going on in its fifth year, it’s very problematic in that regard, but even the people, the pressure… so I could do this interview in another part of the world, and they’re asking us why we’re not imposing more sanctions, and people don’t realise that sanctions come with consequences, because sanctions aren’t just on Russia. They are on anyone who does business with Russia. So, there’s a balancing act here. They’re always between, on the one hand, trying to pressure the countries involved in this war to enter into an agreement, and on the other hand, recognising that when you do that pressure, sometimes it spills over and has a negative impact on other countries. It’s one of the reasons why, despite criticism from Democrats and others, the President chose to use a national security waiver on the latest bill that Congress passed, which called for increasing tariffs and sanctions, but tariffs on specific countries that are still doing business with Russia, and the President chose to use a national security waiver to not immediately implement those because he recognises that these things have to be looked at in their totality.

You have to balance your interests in what’s happening in Ukraine and Russia with the impact that it’s having on a global scale. So hopefully, between that and a trade agreement with India, these issues will be resolved, but I understand tensions exist, and I understand the sort of balancing act that we have to work through.

Rahul: One more issue that concerns us, Mr Secretary, is that a few days back, there was a plot to attack a Hindu temple in the state of Illinois. You know, the Indian government has also drawn attention to racist hostility, anti-India sentiment and anti-India hate. How do you see this, you know, towards the community that is known for academic excellence, a low crime rate, and is actually a part of the great American story?

Rubio: Well, unfortunately, I would just say this is not unique to the United States, and every society in the world, because it’s endemic to the human condition, has ignorance and hatred, and it happens, and you see these attacks in different parts of the world for different reasons. Some are motivated by terrorism, others are motivated by hatred, and the United States is not immune to that.

I do not believe, nor have I ever perceived, that anti-Indian sentiment in the United States is widespread or deep, but I must also tell you that, like any large and complex society, there are individuals within our country, sadly, who are stupid, who are dumb, or who are ignorant or hateful. And what I am very proud of is the way these communities react when it happens. And I don’t just mean the Indian American community; I mean the community that surrounds them and how they rally around and reject it.

I remember a few years ago, we had a horrifying incident with the Sikh community in Wisconsin, and how the community rallied to support them. So, these things happen. We have a rise in antisemitism in the United States. We’ve seen that as well. It’s very disturbing. So, these are things that we address and reject. I think the important point is that the majority of the country speaks with moral clarity about how wrong these things are, and that those of us in positions of authority never do anything that is sort of encouraging it or excusing it or looking the other way.

Rahul Joshi: That’s reassuring.

Rahul Joshi: One more question is about the US stance towards Pakistan. You know, as a US senator in 2025, you had said that you would introduce a bill to cut US security aid to Pakistan if it sponsored terror against India. Has that changed? Has that policy changed at all?

Rubio: We are against terrorism anywhere in the world. We’re against anybody who sponsors terrorism. In my new role, I am no longer a senator. As Secretary of State, I have to manage the foreign policy of the United States, and that does require us to have relationships with countries, including those with which we may have some disagreements. In the case of Pakistan, it’s a country with which we have to have a relationship. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons. From a geographical standpoint, we need to be able to interact with it, much in the same way as the government of India has to have, and does have, a relationship and meet with leaders from Iran.

So, these are difficult things to balance, but they have to be part of our 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 help us, perhaps put us in a position to help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about.

Rahul: Mr Secretary, earlier this month, you said that Iran had lost complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, but ships are being struck every now and then, and, you know, the war is spreading to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. How do you see the situation evolving? President Trump has been saying that the war will be over after the midterms. Do you see a military escalation, or do you see that there is a deal in the offing?

Rubio: Well, it’s tough to make a deal with the Iranian regime. Unfortunately, they don’t know how to make a deal, and they are controlled by radical Shia clerics. And I don’t mean Shia clerics; I mean radical Shia clerics who are driven by theology. It’s very difficult to make a deal with them. The Strait is, if you look at any given time in the Strait, the amount of traffic and oil and energy flowing through it is 80% to 100% of what it was before the conflict.

Unfortunately, Iran is doing something, and that’s really what people should be talking about. What they really should be talking about is that we have a nation-state that is openly, openly saying that we are targeting commercial vessels. We are trying to kill sailors who have nothing to do with the war. We are trying to sink commercial ships. You haven’t seen that since the Second World War. They are doing Nazi U-boat tactics, and that’s what the world should be rallying around and condemning. Every single night, the United States defends shipping. The overwhelming majority of these drones and missiles that they are launching at ships are being destroyed. Every now and then, unfortunately, one will get through and strike the ship. Luckily, for the most part, most of the ships are able to continue in transit, but every now and then, you do see an engine room hit, and every now and then, you see loss of life, including many Indian sailors who have lost their lives in these strikes because there’s such a large number of Indian sailors out there.

So, it’s something that we’re worried about, but I think it’s incumbent on Iran to stop doing it. In the meantime, we’re going to continue putting extraordinary economic pressure on them because we know that every dollar that they get access to, every resource they get access to, they don’t use it to better the lives of their people or better their country. They use it to sponsor terrorism. They use it to make missiles and drones to try to sink commercial vessels.

Rahul Joshi: Mr Secretary, there hasn’t been a Quad Leaders’ Summit since September 2024, and it is India’s turn to host it now. Do you think this will happen anytime soon? Will President Trump travel to India for the next Quad Summit?

Rubio: Well, our hope is that the Quad Summit will happen before the end of this year. There’s been an agreement that we’re going to do it in Manila, at the ASEAN conference. We don’t have the specific date yet, but that’s going to happen. We’re very enthusiastic about it. In fact, the first meeting I ever had as Secretary of State was a Quad meeting with your Foreign Minister. That was literally the first meeting I had. As soon as I was sworn in, I went upstairs, and we did it. I think since then, we’ve had seven or eight engagements. We’re about to have another one in Atlanta at the G20, and at the leaders’ level meeting, we look forward to being a part of that at the ASEAN conference in just a few weeks.

Rahul Joshi: Mr Secretary, one last question. You’ve been in India this time, and you’ve met Foreign Minister Jaishankar. Could you give us a sense of the conversation between the two sides and what takes you to Jamnagar tomorrow, to Reliance?

Rubio: Jaishankar and I, I think, have a great relationship. And I’ve gotten to know him, as I said, it was the first meeting I did as Secretary of State, and he was part of it at the time. So, we’ve met, I don’t know how many times. We must have met at least a dozen times because he also came to the United States four times. Anytime we’re in the same city, at a gathering, a conference, or what have you, we always make it a point to meet, and so I think we’ve created a very positive and solid work relationship that’s allowed us to navigate some delicate and sensitive things over the last year and a half.

As far as moving forward on the relationship, I think we have extraordinary opportunities. I think we are aligned on so many different things. The Quad is one that’s really taking on a lot of energy, and because the Quad is not just a process by which we meet and agree to do certain things, you’re now starting to see action. You’re now starting to see things happen, and that’s what we’re excited about for the leaders’ meeting. It is at that meeting that they will be able to actually announce concrete actions, not just simply a nice social gathering, but something with concrete deliverables.

Rahul Joshi: And the agenda in Jamnagar tomorrow?

Rubio: Look, Reliance is a very important company, with extraordinary capacity to refine. Petroleum is useless if you don’t refine it into a usable product. We think there’s an opportunity for them to continue to help India diversify its supply of energy. For example, Venezuela is increasing its production of energy, and India has had a long history of being able to refine some of that. But it’s also one of the few companies that has actually invested in refining capacity in the United States. They’ve invested in increasing the refining capacity within the United States, so being so close, it made sense to go see their operations, spend some time talking to them about the way we can work together more closely, especially when it comes to energy from the Western Hemisphere that can be refined here. I think that’s helpful to India, but it’s also helpful to us.

Thank you so much for giving us the time. Thank you for spending time with Network18. You’ll be watched in every corner of the country.

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