US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in May for talks focused on trade, critical minerals, defense and the Quad security grouping, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed in a post on X after meeting India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri in Washington. The visit comes as both countries seek to limit the economic fallout from the recent US-Israel conflict with Iran and to deepen cooperation on Indo-Pacific security.
The Quad — an informal grouping of the US, India, Japan and Australia aimed at preserving a “free and open Indo‑Pacific” — is expected to be a central topic during Rubio’s trip. Misri met US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker on April 8 to discuss the bilateral agenda and developments in the Middle East.
Energy disruption from the Middle East conflict has pushed India into intensive diplomatic outreach. India’s petroleum minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, is on a two‑day visit to Qatar, meeting QatarEnergy chief Saad Sherida Al‑Kaabi to secure supplies of liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). Puri said Qatar reaffirmed its commitment to remain a reliable supplier. External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due in the UAE on April 11–12.
India is also facing domestic shortages of LPG used for cooking, and Arun Kumar Singh, chairman and CEO of state energy firm ONGC, urged New Delhi to rethink heavy reliance on Middle East crude and to build strategic reserves to buffer future shocks.
Reports say the first non‑Iranian oil tanker bound for India has transited the Strait of Hormuz since a fragile ceasefire took effect: the Gabon‑flagged MSG, carrying Emirati fuel, and another vessel, the Marivex, reportedly carrying Iranian crude to New Mangalore. About a fifth of global crude and gas normally passes through the strait, and flows remain disrupted.
New Delhi is also finalising an agreement to supply oil and gas to Mauritius, underscoring India’s role as a major regional refiner and exporter amid the crisis. Over the past month New Delhi has supplied neighbours including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Oil imports are a diplomatic flashpoint between Washington and New Delhi. The US has pressed allies to reduce purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, using threats of tariffs under former President Donald Trump. Washington granted temporary waivers allowing purchases of Russian crude to ease global prices after the Iran conflict began; India has bought from multiple sources, including Russia and Venezuela, and reports indicate it received its first Iranian shipment since 2019. Reuters says India expects the US to extend the waiver.
Other national developments: India’s Supreme Court has sought responses to a petition alleging Indians were coerced into fighting in Ukraine after being recruited on the pretext of education or work; families of 26 citizens seek help to locate and repatriate them. Civil society has also reacted strongly to a recent amendment to transgender laws that removes the right of self‑identification, raising concerns among activists and counsellors. At home, election season continues as two states and a union territory voted, with political debates shaped by rising food and cooking gas costs.