Summers in New Delhi can be brutal, even for Floridians used to the heat.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India over the weekend to a blast of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, kicking off a four-day trip that included meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the foreign ministers of India, Australia and Japan, as well as a midday tour of the Taj Mahal that drew expressions of sympathy from social media users worried that Rubio might wilt in the heat.
“I wanted to keep this brief because it’s hot. It’s hot,” Rubio said to laughter Saturday at the inauguration of the U.S. Embassy’s new building, which houses the consular operation in New Delhi.
“Although it’s not humid — like, I’m from Miami — there’s a humid hot and then there’s this hot, but it’s like, what time is it? It should be cooling off by now.”
But Rubio had good reason to be sweltering in the heat.
His visit comes at a critical time for the Quad, the Indo-Pacific alliance also called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and U.S.-India relations, which have been strained in recent months over the Trump administration’s steep tariffs on Indian exports.
While the two countries have reached an interim agreement on certain trade aspects, disputes remain, particularly over energy. Washington’s engagement with India’s rival, Pakistan, over the Iran war has also raised concerns in New Delhi, which sees Islamabad as a state sponsor of terrorism on its soil.
On Tuesday, Rubio said meetings with his Quad counterparts were “productive,” announcing several initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, including on maritime surveillance, port infrastructure and critical minerals.
“Beyond the fact that current events remind us of what can happen when maritime security is impeded, is the fact that 60% of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
“It’s a vital national interest.”
China said Tuesday that cooperation between countries “should not target third parties,” with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning telling reporters, “China does not support the formation of exclusive ‘small circles’ or bloc confrontation.”
“Any cooperation should not undermine mutual trust and collaboration among countries in the region,” she told reporters in Beijing.
On Monday, Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, toured the Amber Fort in Jaipur, capital of the state of Rajasthan, which is known for its sprawling forts and royal palaces.
If the couple were hoping for respite from the heat, they were out of luck, as temperatures there were even worse.
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They also visited the resting place of Mother Teresa in Kolkata on Saturday and the Taj Mahal on Monday, where Rubio and his wife posed for pictures in front of the iconic monument.
On X, users described the heat in India as “hellishly hot,” with one person saying sarcastically that whoever scheduled Rubio’s visit “deserves a raise.”
Though the temperatures were high, India has yet to experience the worst of the season.
Rubio’s wilted appearance at the Taj Mahal hit home for many Indians, who are struggling to cope with the heat even more than usual. Fuel prices have shot up in recent weeks, as India is unable to contain the impact of Iran’s effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, which has cut off its oil imports from the Gulf.
Rubio said Tuesday that the discussions in India also included the war with Iran as he called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen as part of a possible deal between Washington and Tehran. “It’ll take a few days” for the deal to be finalized, he told reporters.
Despite the heat, Rubio was also full of praise for India.
“Part of my visit here is also to reinforce how important this relationship is, how exciting it is, and how many opportunities we have to do things together,” Rubio said Sunday at a convention center in New Delhi, celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Rubio said Tuesday that the U.S. and India had signed a pact on critical minerals and rare-earth supply chains, including cooperation on mining, processing and recycling.
“We both have a strategic and shared interest in the fact that vibrant innovation economies such as ours cannot afford to leave the foundational materials of these industries vulnerable to the single-source monopolies that could deny us these things,” he said, in an apparent reference to China.
Without being named explicitly, China was also omnipresent in the joint statement the Quad countries — the U.S., India, Japan and Australia — released Tuesday.
“We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region,” read the statement, which also mentioned “interference with offshore resource development” and “the repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight.”
“We are seriously concerned by the militarization of disputed features,” it said, particularly in the South China Sea.
From India, Rubio headed to the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Tuesday to meet with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for a “Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony,” according to the State Department, which did not provide details.
Armenia is closely tied to Russia for its energy needs, but in recent years has sought to move away from Moscow’s orbit.
