India ‘very measured, cautious and very professional’ in Red Fort explosion investigation: Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised India’s “measured and professional” investigation into the Red Fort car explosion, calling it a terrorist attack. He affirmed US support if needed, while India vowed zero tolerance for terrorism and ongoing high-level monitoring

New York: India has been “very measured, cautious and very professional” in the way it is carrying out the investigation into the car explosion near Red Fort, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as he emphasized that “clearly it was a terrorist attack” and Washington has “offered to help” but New Delhi is “very capable” in these investigations.

“Yeah. I mean, we’re aware – yeah, we’re aware of the potential that that holds. But I think the Indians are – need to be commended; they have been very measured and cautious and very professional in how they’re carrying out this investigation,” Rubio said Wednesday in remarks to the press in Hamilton, Canada.

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“That investigation continues. Clearly, it was a terrorist attack. It was a car loaded with highly explosive materials that detonated and killed a lot of people. But I think they’re doing a very good job of carrying out an investigation; and I think when they have facts, they’ll release those facts,” Rubio said.

Rubio, who met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the margins of the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Niagara, was asked about the Red Fort explosion in Delhi and how concerned he was about rising tensions between India and Pakistan, against the backdrop of the fighting between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year when Delhi had launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

“So, but clearly, I mean, we’re aware of the potential that it has, and so we spoke about that a little bit today – the potential that it has to become something broader. But I think we’re going to wait and see what their investigation reveals,” Rubio said.

He added that the US has offered to help, but “I think they’re very capable in these investigations. They don’t need our help. They’re doing a good job, and I thought they were very measured and professional in how they’ve approached it, as they usually are.” India on Wednesday termed the car explosion outside Red Fort as a “heinous terror incident” and directed investigating agencies to deal with the case with “utmost urgency and professionalism” to bring those behind it and their sponsors to justice without delay.

The Union Cabinet at its meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his return from Bhutan, reaffirmed India’s unwavering commitment to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

It said the situation continues to be “closely monitored” at the highest levels of the government.

Observing a two-minute silence in honour of the innocent lives lost in the terrorist incident, the Cabinet adopted a resolution condemning the dastardly act and expressing profound grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

“The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, expressed its profound grief over the loss of lives in the terrorist incident involving a car explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi on the evening of 10 November 2025,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a media briefing.

Following his meeting with Rubio, Jaishankar said in a post on X “Good to meet @SecRubio this morning at #G7 FMM. Appreciate his condolences on the loss of lives in the blast in Delhi. Discussed our bilateral ties, focusing on trade and supply chains. Exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East/West Asia situation and Indo-Pacific.”