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EAM meets US Treasury Secretary Bessent; discusses economic partnership, strategic cooperation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and held a discussion on advancing bilateral economic partnership and strategic cooperation.

"Pleased to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington DC today. Had a useful discussion on advancement of India-US economic partnership and strategic cooperation," Jaishankar said in an X post on Tuesday.

In a post, Bessent said he enjoyed his meeting with Jaishankar. "During our talks, we addressed the importance of securing supply chains, as well as other national and economic security issues of mutual interest," he said.

Jaishankar is on a visit to the United States from February 2-4 and will participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

New York, New Jersey sue Trump administration over $16B funding freeze for Hudson River tunnels

New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for freezing USD 16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River between the two states, seeking a quick ruling because construction that has been underway could be forced to shut down as early as Friday.

The administration put a hold on the funding in September, citing the government shutdown. The White House budget director, Russ Vought, said on the social platform X at the time that officials believed the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles, and the US Department of Transportation said it was reviewing any "unconstitutional practices."

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan by New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, asks a judge to declare the funding suspension unlawful and order payments to resume immediately so construction can continue without interruption.

Iran's president seeks 'fair and equitable' negotiations as US shoots down drone

Iran's president said on Tuesday he instructed the country's foreign minister to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" with the United States, the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate as tensions remain high with Washington after the Mideast country's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.

The announcement came as a US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching an American aircraft carrier early Tuesday morning. The Iranian Mission to the UN did not immediately comment on the incident. The US military announced the downing of the drone on Tuesday evening.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff has been planning to hold talks with Iranian officials in Turkey later this week, and the talks are still scheduled despite the drone incident. It was the first direct acknowledgment of the talks by the White House.

"President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango," Leavitt said. "You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy and that's something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing." AP

Jaishankar, Rubio welcome trade deal; discuss energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio "welcomed" the trade deal reached between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and discussed "formalising" bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and mining during their meeting in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Rubio held bilateral discussions with Jaishankar at the State Department, ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting being convened by the US on Wednesday.

"Delighted to meet US @SecRubio this afternoon. A wide ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues," Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.

"Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests," he wrote.

A readout of the bilateral meeting provided by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that Rubio and Jaishankar "welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders emphasised the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals."

Pigott further said that Rubio and Jaishankar "discussed formalising bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining and processing." Rubio and Jaishankar "concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad.

They acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests," the readout said, referring to the four-nation grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US.