The US Secretary of State just promised India “as much energy as they’ll buy.” He skipped the part about the Venezuelan president flying in right behind him.
Marco Rubio lands in Delhi today for a four-day visit — his first as Secretary of State, a role he holds while also serving as National Security Advisor. His pitch is simple. The Strait of Hormuz has been shut since March. Forty percent of India’s crude used to come through it. US production is at record highs. America wants the contract.
India isn’t in a strong position to argue. Crude basket at $113.57. Rupee at a record low of 95.43. Fuel prices already up ₹3 a litre. BPCL is reviewing imports daily and now buys 41% of its crude from Russia.
The Quad Meeting Is Not the Story
Yes, the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting on May 26 — Jaishankar hosting Rubio, Australia’s Penny Wong, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi — is the official reason for the visit. Foreign Policy has already called the Quad doomed, with the Philippines replacing India in Washington’s China calculus. The oil pitch is the actual agenda. The IEA called Hormuz’s closure the largest supply disruption in oil market history. India has already rerouted 70% of crude away from the strait. The remaining 30% is what Rubio came to sell.
The Venezuelan Tell
Then Rubio added a detail nobody else was offering. Delcy Rodriguez — Venezuela’s interim president, sworn in after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January — will visit Delhi the same week. Washington lifted her sanctions in April. Now she’s pitching oil. Venezuela has quietly become India’s third-largest crude supplier, behind only Russia and the UAE.
So the deal on offer looks like this: buy American crude at record-production prices, plus Venezuelan barrels through a government Washington installed after a military operation. Replace Middle East volatility with a supply chain that runs through one US administration’s foreign policy.
Except Delhi has options Rubio didn’t account for. Iran’s foreign minister was just in Delhi for BRICS — and Russia’s Lavrov sat at the same table. The same week Rubio pitches American crude, two of India’s existing suppliers are in the building.
Remember August 2025? Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% over Russian oil purchases. If energy decisions can trigger tariffs, they can trigger embargoes. Saying no isn’t on the table this week. Saying yes with eyes open might be the best Delhi gets.