US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington needs to maintain relations with nuclear-armed Pakistan because of its geographic importance, while describing a deal with Iran as extremely difficult to achieve.
In an interview and while interaction with journalists in India, Rubio said the United States had to maintain relations with countries even when disagreements existed, as part of managing its foreign policy.
“It’s a country that we have to have a relationship with,” Rubio said of Pakistan. “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.”
He said that maintaining contact with Islamabad could also help Washington discourage actions that concerned other countries.
Air Defence Interceptors
To a question, Rubio said the US could not supply air defence interceptors to every country that needed them, citing their high production costs and the time required to manufacture the sophisticated systems. He said US production was increasing rapidly and Washington was confident about its stockpile of interceptors and other munitions.
Referring to Saudi Arabia, Rubio said the US was defending its military presence there and was taking other steps to help the kingdom, while other countries were also providing assistance. He added that requests for air defence interceptors and discussions on trade had become the two main issues raised by foreign counterparts in his meetings.
Agreement With Tehran Difficult
On Iran, Rubio said reaching an agreement with Tehran was difficult, accusing its leadership of pursuing policies that undermined regional security.
He said Iran was targeting commercial vessels and threatening sailors in the region, while the US continued to defend shipping against Iranian drones and missiles.
He also said that Washington would maintain strong economic pressure on Iran, accusing the country of using its resources to support militant groups and develop weapons rather than improve conditions for its people.
His remarks came amid continuing tensions over maritime security and the conflict involving Iran and the United States. Rubio did not outline any new diplomatic initiative to resolve the dispute.
