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ISLAMABAD: Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday, with both sides highlighting efforts to deepen India-US strategic cooperation.&nbsp;According to the US State Department, Rubio and Jaishankar discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including exploration, mining, and processing.&nbsp;The State Department readout said the two leaders welcomed the trade deal reached between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressing that closer economic ties could unlock new opportunities and strengthen shared energy security goals.&nbsp;Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad, emphasizing that a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing shared interests.&nbsp;In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar said the meeting involved a wide-ranging exchange covering bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 815px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018811808220582060&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=2c33c371487d07e8c8e629e0532d2a728993df1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>He said discussions on the India-US strategic partnership included trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defense, critical minerals, and technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;He also said both sides agreed on holding early meetings of various bilateral mechanisms to advance shared objectives.&nbsp;The talks were held against the backdrop of a recently finalized bilateral trade deal between India and the United States, which has drawn attention across the region. US President Donald Trump on Monday said he had agreed&nbsp;to a trade deal with India that would slash US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange for India lowering trade barriers, stopping its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/russia-says-india-has-not-said-it-will-halt-oil-purchases" target="_blank">purchases of Russian oil</a>, and buying oil instead from the US and potentially from&nbsp;Venezuela.&nbsp;Following that, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on his X account, thanked the US president for the &ldquo;wonderful announcement&rdquo;, saying that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/modi-wants-to-please-me-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">&ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s leadership</a>&nbsp;is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018377090840830101&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=2c33c371487d07e8c8e629e0532d2a728993df1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;He added: &ldquo;I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights.&rdquo; Russia, on the other hand, said it has not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on February 3, 2026. (Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar)

India

US State Department says both leaders discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including exploration, mining, and processing.

Jaishankar, Rubio discuss critical minerals, strategic partnership in Washington

ISLAMABAD: The United States and India have entered a fresh phase of tension over control, access, and security protocols surrounding the investigation into the June crash of Air India Flight 171, as their respective aviation agencies sharply diverge on where and how to analyze the aircraft&rsquo;s flight recorders, according to The Wall Street Journal. The dispute pits the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) against India&rsquo;s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with both sides contesting the location for black-box analysis and the procedures for examining and sharing evidence. Air India Flight 171, a scheduled service from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed 32 seconds after take-off, killing all but one of the 241 people on board. Indian authorities launched the official probe immediately, but disagreements over access to the aircraft&rsquo;s recorded data have since stalled progress. The Journal reported that the friction escalated in late June when Indian officials directed American specialists to travel on a late-night military flight to a remote laboratory in Korwa. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy blocked the plan, citing security concerns tied to terrorism and regional military conflict, and threatened to withdraw US cooperation unless the examination took place in either New Delhi or Washington. India ultimately selected New Delhi. American investigators also expressed frustration at the slow pace of data recovery, while Indian officials resisted what they viewed as excessive external control of the probe. According to the Journal, AAIB chief G.V.G. Yugandhar told US counterparts that India was fully capable of managing the investigation. A preliminary Indian report issued in July found that the Boeing 787&rsquo;s fuel-control switches had been moved from &ldquo;RUN&rdquo; to &ldquo;CUTOFF,&rdquo; starving both engines of thrust. The findings did not explain why the switches were moved. US government and aerospace officials privately believe the evidence points to deliberate pilot action, though no official conclusion has been reached. Differences also emerged over methodology. Indian investigators reportedly conducted parts of the probe sequentially, while the NTSB pushed for a broader, faster review to determine whether any systemic issue with the 787 could threaten global flight safety. With the investigation continuing amid strained cooperation, the divergent approaches of Washington and New Delhi have raised fresh uncertainty about the eventual conclusions and the credibility of the final crash findings.

Asia

Americas

The Air India Flight 171 probe stalls as US and Indian investigators dispute black-box access, security conditions and control of the inquiry, deepening uncertainty around the crash’s final conclusions.

Articles tagged with "US India ties"

Jaishankar, Rubio discuss critical minerals, strategic partnership in Washington

US-India rift deepens over Air India crash investigation controls

Jaishankar, Rubio discuss critical minerals, strategic partnership in Washington