Iran, India not talking trade: Rubio on Modi-Pezeshkian meet — SkimNews
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- Marco Rubio said on September 2, 2026, during an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio that he does not think India and Iran are talking of a trade deal
- Rubio's remarks came in response to PM Modi's meeting with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek
- Rubio acknowledged that many countries around the world talk to the Iranian regime and noted the US itself has met with elements of the Tehran government
- Rubio cited Trump's stated position that no country should help Iran create revenue mechanisms that fund terrorism or nuclear weapons development
- Rubio warned that any country helping Iran evade US sanctions would itself face American sanctions
Why it matters: Rubio's warning puts India on notice that even normal diplomatic engagement with Tehran carries secondary-sanctions risk, potentially complicating New Delhi's longstanding energy ties with Iran. The explicit sanction threat turns Modi's SCO handshake with Pezeshkian into a test of how far the Trump administration will tolerate third-party engagement with the Iranian regime.
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