US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on India and Pakistan to maintain open communication and avoid further escalation following India’s missile strikes on multiple terrorist sites in Pakistan. Rubio’s comments came after he spoke to the National Security Advisors of both countries on Tuesday (local time).
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the US Department of State confirmed the conversation, stating, “Earlier this afternoon, @SecRubio spoke to the national security advisors from India and Pakistan. He urged both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation.”
This discussion took place amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after India carried out strikes as part of Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation was a direct response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Indian nationals.
Rubio also reiterated his commitment to monitoring the situation closely, expressing hope for a peaceful resolution. In a post on X, Rubio said, “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo President Trump’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump acknowledged the Indian military action and expressed hope that tensions would de-escalate swiftly. “We just heard about it as we were walking through the doors of the Oval. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you think about it. I hope it ends very quickly,” Trump remarked.
The US government’s concern comes after India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). India’s Ministry of Defence emphasized that the strikes were measured and non-escalatory, specifically targeting terror facilities without hitting Pakistani military sites.
According to the Ministry, Indian Armed Forces successfully struck nine locations, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot in Pakistan, and five sites in PoJK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reportedly monitoring the operation throughout the night, with all nine targets successfully neutralized, including key leaders involved in terrorist activities against India.
