'Iran, India not talking trade': Marco Rubio on Modi-Pezeshkian meet, warns no country should help Tehran evade sanctions - Deccan Herald

**India‑Iran Dialogue at the SCO Summit Draws U.S. Rebuke**

New Delhi’s delegation, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir‑Abdollahian during the closing days of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The bilateral talks, held on the sidelines of the multilateral gathering, focused on “regional connectivity” and “energy cooperation,” but did not feature a formal trade agenda, according to officials from both capitals. The meeting came just weeks after Washington launched **Operation Economic Outcast**, a coordinated effort to tighten enforcement of sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports and related financial channels.

U.S. Senator **Marco Rubio** (R‑FL) seized on the high‑profile encounter to caution that “no country should help Tehran evade sanctions.” In a press briefing in Washington, Rubio said that, despite media speculation, “Iran and India are **not** currently negotiating a trade deal” and warned that any effort to bypass U.S. sanctions would attract “swift diplomatic and economic consequences.” He invoked the newly‑started Operation Economic Outcast as evidence of the United States’ resolve to clamp down on illicit oil shipments, secondary sanctions, and the use of third‑party jurisdictions to mask Iranian revenue.

The Indian government has so far downplayed the controversy, emphasizing that its engagement with Iran remains strictly within the bounds of existing international sanctions regimes. A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to “responsible trade” and highlighted ongoing projects such as the Chabahar port, which India argues serves broader regional development goals. Nonetheless, analysts note that the episode underscores a growing friction point between New Delhi’s strategic outreach to Tehran and Washington’s tightening grip on Iran’s economy, a dynamic that could shape Indo‑U.S. relations as the two democracies navigate competing security and economic priorities in South Asia and Central Asia.