Let's stand up for defence of religious freedom for all: Pompeo
Days after US State Department report on ''International Religious Freedom"
New Delhi, June 26: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Wednesday pitched for the "defence of religious freedom for all", days after a report published by his ministry made critical remarks over the status of minorities in India.
At the same time, he hailed the rule of law prevailing in India, like in the US, and said both the countries believe in it.
"India is the birthplace of four major religions of the world. Let us stand up together for defence of religious freedom for all. Let's speak out strongly together in favour of those rights, for whenever we do compromise those rights, the world is worse off," he said while delivering a speech here.
A few days back, the US State Department, in its annual 2018 ''International Religious Freedom Report'', said: "Mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef."
India rejected the observations, saying the "foreign entity/government" had "no locus standing to pronounce on the state of our citizens'' constitutionally protected rights".
In his speech, Pompeo said both India and the US "protect inalienable rights" of their people.
Also referring to the Lok Sabha elections, he hailed the democratic exercise, saying "imagine if every country had the voice which Indian people recently expressed".
He said India and the US "should see the world as it is and see each other what we are great democracies, global powers and good friends".
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US rules out use of nuclear weapons against Iran
Washington DC: The White House has reportedly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, even as uncertainty continues over ongoing peace negotiations and a deadline set by US President Donald Trump approaches.
Issues bout a possible escalation had increased after US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” in dealing with Iran.
His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a deadline linked to peace efforts.
The situation has attracted attention as Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight tonight” if an agreement is not reached by Tuesday at 8 pm.
This statement led to speculation about the possibility of extreme military measures, including a nuclear strike.
Following Vance’s comments, the White House issued a clarification distancing itself from such interpretations. In a post on X, it said, "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons." In a later statement, it added that “only the president knows” what action will be taken regarding Iran.
Literally nothing @VP said here "implies" this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
