New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday labelled the blast near the Red Fort a “terrorist attack” and “commended” India’s “measured and cautious” investigation into the incident. The explosion in the national capital left at least 12 people dead.
“I think the Indians need to be commended; they have been very measured and cautious and very professional in how they’re carrying out this investigation [into the Delhi blast]. The investigation continues. Clearly, it was a terrorist attack,” Rubio said in an interaction with the media.
The US Secretary of State added: “I think they’re [India] doing a very good job of carrying out an investigation; and I think when they have facts, they’ll release those facts…I mean, we are aware of the potential that it has, so we spoke a little bit today—the potential that it has to become something broader.”
Rubio’s response came after a question pointing out that earlier this year, India struck at terrorist complexes within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) during Operation Sindoor after investigations linked Islamabad to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the time had declared that any future terrorist attack emanating from across the border would be considered a declaration of war. The US administration led by President Donald Trump claims credit for the pause in hostilities between India and Pakistan in May. India has rejected the notion that any third country had a role to play in the pausing of hostilities.
Rubio further offered the US’ aid in the investigations, however, pointing out that it is unlikely that India needs any American aid as “they’re doing a good job.” The US Secretary of State’s comments on recognising the explosion as a terror attack comes after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) late Wednesday evening formally acknowledged the incident as a terror attack.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Rubio Wednesday on the margins of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Canada. The two leaders also discussed the overall state of ties, including energy and trade.
“Appreciate his condolences on the loss of lives in the blast in Delhi. Discussed our bilateral ties, focusing on trade and supply chains. Exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East/West Asia situation and Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said in a post on the social media platform X, after the bilateral meeting with Rubio.
The External Affairs Minister also met with a number of his counterparts, including Canada’s Anita Anand, Ukraine’s Andrii Sybiha and France’s Jean-Noël Barrot. A number of countries from across the globe have made statements condemning the attack in New Delhi, however, Pakistan remains silent.
Late Monday evening, a vehicle exploded near the iconic Red Fort in the Indian national capital. The vehicle is suspected to have been driven by a doctor—Umar U. Nabi—who is reported to have been a member of a larger terror module with other doctors involved. The police had raided premises in Haryana’s Faridabad earlier Monday, seizing almost 3,000 kilograms of explosive material, as reported by ThePrint.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)