US State Department

March 27, 2026 10:22 AM

Marco Rubio holds call with Iraqi Kurdish leader: US State Department

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday. "The secretary also expressed his gratitude to the Kurdistan Regional Government for enabling oil from Iraq, including from the Iraq Kurdistan Region, to reach global markets," the State Department said in a statement. The Iran war has raised oil prices and shaken global markets. The State Department said Rubio "offered his condolences to the families of the Peshmerga kille...

November 30, 2025 3:29 PM

US State Department stops processing visas for Afghan allies

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its diplomats worldwide to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, effectively suspending the special immigration program for Afghans who helped the United States during its 20-year-long occupation of their home country. The cable, sent to all U.S. diplomatic posts on Friday, says that effective immediately, consular officers are instructed to reject any immigrant or non-immigra...

August 12, 2025 9:47 AM

US designates Pakistani Baloch separatists as a foreign terrorist group

The United States is designating the Pakistani separatist Baloch Liberation Army as a foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Department of State said on Monday. The BLA is the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in the area bordering Afghanistan and Iran, a mineral-rich region that is home to Beijing's investment in Gwadar deep water port and other projects. Recently, the BLA took responsibility for hijacking a Pakistani Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Pesh...

August 10, 2025 2:56 PM

Trump nominates State Dept spokeswoman Bruce as US deputy representative to UN

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations. Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January. In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a "fantastic job" as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the U.S. Senate, where Trump's Republican Party holds a m...

July 19, 2025 3:03 PM

‘Step toward justice’: Tharoor applauds US for naming TRF a global terrorist organisation

As the United States has designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based LeT, as a global terrorist organisation, the move has been welcomed by former diplomat and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The Thiruvananthapuram MP expressed hope on Saturday that the decision would increase international pressure on Pakistan to act against terror outfits operating from its soil. This follows US President Donald Trump’s strong call for justice in response to the April 22 Paha...

July 8, 2025 11:53 AM

US restores $6.8 million aid for Tibetans, State Department says

The United States has restored $6.8 million in funding for Tibetans in South Asia, the U.S. State Department told Reuters on Tuesday, confirming comments by Tibet's government-in-exile. The aid had been cut by President Donald Trump's administration as part of its "America First" policy that hit a number of programmes, including those aimed at securing food and preventing the spread of HIV in some of the world's poorest regions. Last week, the leader of the Tibetan government in-exile in India...

February 20, 2025 4:13 PM

US State Department revises China webpage to focus on trade, business curbs

The U.S. State Department has changed references to China on its website, emphasising the trade deficit in an expanded section on economic ties, while dropping talk of working with allies and assistance to China on cultural and environmental issues. The February 13 changes underscore the new administration's focus on trade and other priorities after removing a phrase last week from the department's Taiwan fact sheet about not supporting the island's independence, which angered Beijing. China's...

February 18, 2025 12:11 PM

US Secretary of State in Riyadh for talks on Trump’s Gaza plan and Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Riyadh for talks with Saudi officials, focusing on a controversial US proposal for Gaza, as part of his first Middle East tour as the top US diplomat. Rubio's trip to Saudi Arabia followed US President Donald Trump's proposal to "take over" Gaza and relocate millions of Palestinians from the besieged enclave. The US State Department confirmed that Rubio met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, during which he underlined the importance...

December 4, 2024 8:46 AM

America welcomes South Korean President Yoon’s decision to lift martial law

The US on Wednesday welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's rescinding of the martial law declaration following the National Assembly's unanimous vote to reject it. In a statement issued by US State Department, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, emphasised the importance of resolving political disagreements peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. He also reiterated the US's commitment to supporting the people of Korea and the enduring alliance between the US and South Ko...

September 20, 2024 8:43 AM

Quad has been working to make lives of people better in Indo-Pacific: US

US State Department's Hindustani Language Spokesperson, Margaret Macleod, has said that Quad since its inception has been working to make the lives of people better in the Indo-Pacific. She said that US President Joe Biden is hosting Quad Summit in Delaware, as it is his state and he wants to showcase the importance of his personal ties with Quad leaders. In an interview with ANI, Macleod stated that the next joint statement of Quad will include cooperation between the four nations in various s...