US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday for a four-day visit aimed at strengthening energy and strategic cooperation, as the ongoing Iran conflict continues to disrupt global oil and gas supplies.
Rubio landed in Kolkata in the morning before beginning a packed itinerary that includes stops in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. He is expected to hold high-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with energy security emerging as a central issue during the visit.
The trip comes at a time when shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors, have been severely affected following military tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Tehran has used its influence over the waterway as leverage during fragile negotiations with Washington, further tightening global supply chains.
India, which relies on imports for more than 80% of its energy needs, has been particularly exposed to the disruption. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, the country depends heavily on imported oil, gas and fuel products to support transport, industry and household consumption.
Rubio acknowledged the scale of the challenge, noting that the United States is increasing production and exports. “We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy,” he said, highlighting Washington’s position as a growing global energy supplier.
For India, discussions are expected to include expanding energy purchases from the US, a move that could also help reduce its trade surplus with Washington. The US goods trade deficit with India rose to $58.2 billion in 2025, increasing by more than 27% compared with the previous year, a figure that has drawn political attention in Washington.
However, analysts caution that shifting large volumes of energy imports from established suppliers to the United States may not be straightforward due to cost, distance and infrastructure constraints. Experts say the current supply gap is unlikely to be fully replaced by US shipments alone.
“Energy security is going to be the key theme of this visit because the Iran situation is not going to be resolved anytime soon,” said Vineet Prakash, an associate professor of US studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
He added that India is likely to push for additional flexibility in sourcing energy, including continued access to discounted Russian oil, despite ongoing geopolitical pressures.
Rubio’s visit also takes place against a backdrop of broader diplomatic friction between Washington and New Delhi, including disagreements over trade talks and differing narratives around regional conflicts in South Asia.
Despite tensions, both sides have signalled interest in maintaining dialogue, with recent months seeing cautious efforts to ease strain in bilateral relations as energy security and trade balance remain central to discussions.
