QUESTION: Anything new on Iran?
SECRETARY RUBIO: We're still a work in progress. As I said, we thought we might have some news last night, maybe today. I wouldn't read too much into it. Takes a little while to get back. So we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits opened. It's a very real, significant time limit of negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off. It has a lot of support in the Gulf. There's a lot of support globally, every country that we've walked through it. Understand it's not just very reasonable, but it's the right thing for the world to get done.
The President said he's not in a hurry. He's not going to make a bad deal, and the President's not going to make a bad agreement. So let's see what happens. We're going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives.
QUESTION: What's the holdup right now? Is there something that needs to be done?
SECRETARY RUBIO: It's just the response. I mean, when you get down on some of these things, you've got to hear back, and it takes the Iranians - takes them a little while longer to get back. So like I - look, the President's not going to make a bad deal. He's just not. This issue - no one has done more, no one has been more serious about the threat of a nuclear Iran than President Trump has been. So I'm very confident - we should all be very confident - that we're not going to have a - we're either going to have a good agreement or we're going to have to deal with it another way. We'd prefer to have a good agreement.
QUESTION: What about Lebanon? Is Lebanon going to be part of a deal?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, Lebanon we're working on separately. With Lebanon we are engaged now. We have a 45-day ceasefire; we've had weekly meetings now and ongoing daily engagements between the Government of Lebanon and Israel. The problem is not Lebanon and Israel. The problem is Hizballah. Just last night, Hizballah put out a statement calling for the overthrow of the Lebanese Government - I mean, it just reminds you of who we're dealing with here. By the way, an Iranian proxy - 100 percent Iranian proxy. And as long as Lebanon exists with armaments - as long as an armed Lebanon - as long as an armed Hizballah exists, it's going to be hard to achieve peace in Lebanon because they're victimizing the people of Lebanon. They're not just attacking Israel. They are victimizing the people of Lebanon, who are paying a tremendous price because of Hizballah. And so that's - but we're working that track with the Lebanese Government and the Israeli Government, and we've made some good progress there, an extended ceasefire. A path forward, we're going to continue to work on that.
Hizballah is a terrorist group. What can I tell you?
QUESTION: What would (inaudible) to understand that Israel wouldn't strike - wouldn't strike Lebanon as part of a deal?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Israel always has a right to protect itself. Every country in the world does. And so if Hizballah is going to launch missiles, it launches missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that or to prevent that from happening. That's always been understood. It's being understood during the ceasefire now in Lebanon, and it'll be understood beyond that.
QUESTION: What did you make of the question you got yesterday on racist comments about —
SECRETARY RUBIO: I don't know who we're talking about. I figured - I assume that he was talking about, like, people posting stuff online. I don't even know. Some of those could be a troll or could be a bot. I don't know. So that's why I asked him specifically, can you tell me what you're talking about and who you're talking about? He didn't have a specific example.
But the bottom line is that in the modern era, you go online and there are people saying all kinds of crazy stuff online. I don't even know if they're real people or who they are. So - but I didn't know what he was talking about.
QUESTION: I think it was something that was reposted by the President where he was talking about India being a hellhole.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I gave him a chance to tell me that, and that's not what he said. The President loves India. He said it last night. Were you guys there when he called in for the event last night, the 250? The President's a big fan of India, a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn't be here if the President didn't want me to be here. He cares - he wouldn't have sent someone like Sergio to be our ambassador, someone who's very close to the President. So - but I gave that reporter a chance to tell me who he was referring to, and he didn't. So I just assumed he's talking just about random voices out there. I mean, people say stupid stuff all the time on social media in every country in the world, unfortunately.
QUESTION: Can I ask you about Pakistan, the role that Pakistan has? Did the Indians voice any concern to you? What did you tell them?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I mean, look, they're concerned about - I think they're always concerned about - obviously, India is always pointing to the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani territory that target India. There are always concerns about that. But as far as the role they played as a mediator and a facilitator in the Iran situation, it never came up. I don't think they were complaining about that. I mean, their issue with Pakistan is different.
QUESTION: Tell us about the Taj Mahal and going there. How is it?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I've never been there. I heard - the only one I ever knew about was the one in New Jersey that the President used to have.
QUESTION: You've been to that one?
SECRETARY RUBIO: But no, look, it's one of the wonders of the world. I think it's important to show respect to the culture of the countries that you visit. We have a gap in our schedule because the Quad meeting couldn't happen until tomorrow. So it was a good opportunity to see some of the cultural sights here and pay our respects to this country and to - I mean, we could - there's so much to see here, and it's such a big country with a lot of diversity and a tremendous history. So it'll be a good opportunity to see something that is iconic of the country.
Okay? All right, guys.
QUESTION: Thanks very much.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Are you guys going to that or no?
QUESTION: Apparently it's closed press. If you want to take us, please.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I didn't - I don't think they'd let us have press coverage there, right? But they can see it. Have you guys ever seen it?
QUESTION: I've been before.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Oh, you have? All right. So you're —
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY RUBIO: I just don't think they want press coverage, that's all. So - but that's not my rule. It's not us, any of that.
QUESTION: How was the food?
SECRETARY RUBIO: The what?
QUESTION: The food last night.
SECRETARY RUBIO: I didn't - at the 250 thing?
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY RUBIO: I ate a little bit but not a lot. (Inaudible) the dinner, there was a big party. Did you see the Village People? Did you get to watch it?
QUESTION: (Inaudible.) I listened to a lot of the songs.
SECRETARY RUBIO: They were good. They did a good job. The whole thing was great. The Navy band was great. We had a lot of fun. There were a lot of ambassadors there. We had a lot of our regional ambassadors from countries in the region that came in for the 250. So obviously not every - not every 250 celebration around the world is going to have that scale or magnitude, but the most populous country in the world, so we had to do it big. Okay?
QUESTION: Can I ask you one broad question? This is your first trip to India, and I think it was your first trip to China as well. You must have lots going through your head on perspectives of the two biggest countries in the world by population. Do you have, like, any idea as a comparison of how you felt in China, how you felt here?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, they're different countries, obviously. But India is a big - it's the most populous country in the world. It's a democracy. It's a strong strategic ally of the United States. China is the second largest economy in the world. The United States has to deal with both of these countries, but clearly our alliance with India is something we're highlighting here today. So you always learn something when you go on these trips, but these are two countries that I've paid a lot of attention to during my time in the Senate, for obvious reasons. They're big, important countries.
