Rubio warns India against helping Iran evade US sanctions

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned countries including India and Pakistan against helping Iran circumvent American sanctions, saying the US would impose penalties on governments and entities that help Tehran make money.

Rubio said so when asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and whether India and Iran were setting up a trade deal on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“I don’t think there’s a trade deal

between India and Iran,” Rubio said, adding that countries were free to develop their own foreign policies. At the same time, he also warned that the US would act against countries that helped Iran bypass sanctions.

“No country should be helping Iran evade sanctions,” Rubio said. He added that countries facilitating mechanisms for Iran to generate revenue that could be used to “sponsor terrorism and try to build a nuclear weapon” could themselves face sanctions.

The comments come as the Trump administration has stepped up economic pressure on Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Washington expected to impose new secondary sanctions every week, initially focusing on financial institutions that facilitate Iranian transactions.