U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered American mediation in the growing conflict between India and Pakistan, according to readouts from the State Department.
In separate calls with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Rubio “emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation.”
The State Department also noted that Rubio had previously spoken with Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, during which he “continued to urge both parties to find ways” to reduce tensions. The secretary of state offered U.S. assistance to mediate “in order to avoid future conflicts,” marking the first time this offer has appeared in official readouts of his conversations with officials from either country.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign minister issued a public response to the situation. “If there is an iota of sanity, India will stop and if they stop, so will we,” Ishaq Dar said in a televised interview. “We genuinely want peace without the hegemony of any one country,” he added.
These remarks followed a new round of military action between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Both sides accused each other of escalating the conflict through airstrikes and missile attacks.
The Pakistani military claimed it launched retaliatory strikes on Saturday morning in response to what it described as “Indian aggression.” According to a statement, India had targeted several Pakistani military air bases. In response, Pakistan posted on X that “India must now prepare for Pakistan’s response.”
The Finance 360 cannot independently verify the claims.
Pakistan’s version of the events includes the following:
- India allegedly fired missiles at several key Pakistani military installations, including one near Islamabad.
- Most of the incoming missiles were intercepted, according to military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
- No damage was caused by the missiles that landed, he added.
- “India hit Nur Khan Air Base, Shorkot Air Base and Murid Air Base from their jets, all were intercepted,” Chaudhry said in a live broadcast aired by state television.
- Nur Khan Air Base, located near the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi, is used by foreign dignitaries and military leaders.
- Pakistan’s air defense systems “successfully intercepted cruise missiles fired at Rafiqui Air Force Base in Shorkot,” Chaudhry said.
