US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that Washington views the current moment as an opportunity to deepen its strategic partnership with Pakistan. He clarified that this renewed cooperation does not undermine or come at the cost of America’s longstanding relationship with India.
During a press briefing on Saturday, Rubio was asked whether New Delhi had expressed reservations about the closer engagement between Washington and Islamabad. He responded that India had not voiced such concerns directly, though he acknowledged the historical tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.
“They haven’t really raised objections — naturally, we understand their concerns given the past friction between Pakistan and India,” he said, according to an official transcript on the State Department’s website. “But the reality is, the United States must maintain relations with a range of countries around the world.”
Rubio added that Washington sees potential to build upon its strategic partnership with Pakistan. “Our responsibility is to explore ways to work with as many nations as possible on shared interests,” he noted.
He went on to praise India’s diplomatic maturity, saying, “India maintains relations with countries we may not always engage with directly. That’s the nature of a pragmatic and balanced foreign policy. Nothing we’re pursuing with Pakistan diminishes the strength or value of our friendship with India — a relationship that remains historic, deep, and significant.”
When asked if the recent improvement in US–Pakistan ties stemmed from Islamabad’s recognition of President Donald Trump’s role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, Rubio replied that the partnership was built on broader cooperation.
“I believe they appreciated the efforts,” he said. “But even before that episode, we had already begun outreach to Pakistan, expressing our interest in rebuilding a strong and strategic alliance. There are several areas where we can collaborate constructively.”
The Secretary of State emphasized that Washington remains fully aware of the complexities surrounding South Asia’s regional dynamics. “Our task,” he explained, “is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible. We’ve worked with Pakistan for decades on counterterrorism and similar priorities, and we hope to expand this collaboration further — recognizing that challenges will naturally exist.”
Rubio concluded by saying, “The strengthening of our relationship with Pakistan is a positive development, and it does not in any way replace or weaken our bond with India or with any other nation.”
Pakistan and the United States had entered a new phase in their strategic and economic cooperation, particularly through efforts to finalize a deal involving the export of rare earth minerals.
The renewed warmth in ties was widely attributed to Pakistan’s acknowledgment of President Trump’s mediation in de-escalating a four-day standoff between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan.
Following that episode, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited Washington in June for an official five-day trip, during which he met President Trump over a luncheon — becoming the first sitting Pakistani army chief to meet a US president face-to-face.
Field Marshal Munir returned to the US in August, describing his second visit in less than two months as a “new dimension” in Pakistan–US relations. In September, he joined Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where they discussed regional security, counterterrorism cooperation, and related issues.
President Trump, meanwhile, publicly thanked both Prime Minister Shehbaz and “my favourite, Field Marshal Munir,” for their efforts in securing a ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier today, he referred to both leaders as “great people” and pledged to help resolve the recent tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan “very quickly.”
In a separate development, US Strategic Metals (USSM), an American firm, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan in September to invest around $500 million in establishing mineral processing and development facilities in the country.
The company has already shipped its first batch of mineral samples to the United States as part of the agreement. The samples, prepared locally in partnership with the Frontier Works Organisation, include antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium.
In a statement, USSM described the shipment as “a milestone in the Pakistan–US strategic partnership,” adding that the MoU outlines a comprehensive plan for collaboration “across the entire mineral value chain — from exploration and processing to establishing refineries within Pakistan.”