India reserves right to deter cross-border terror attacks, Rajnath tells Hegseth, thanks U.S. for support

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (July 1, 2025) thanked the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for the U.S. support during Operation Sindoor and told him that India reserved the right to pre-empt and deter cross-border terror attacks and defend itself.

Mr. Singh said India’s actions during the operation were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and focused on disabling terrorist infrastructure.

It was the first time the two leaders spoke after Operation Sindoor. It was their third telephonic conversation since January this year when Mr. Hegseth assumed office. They spoke last just after the Pahalgam attack on April 22.

Sources said the two leaders had a 20-minute conversation during which Mr. Hegseth invited Mr. Singh to the U.S. for an in-person meeting to take the bilateral defence partnership forward.

The Defence Minister sought timely delivery of the U.S.-made General Electric engines for the Tejas light combat-Mk1A aircraft, being manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He also spoke on setting up a production unit for jet engines in India. Mr. Hegseth said he would ensure timely delivery of the jet engines, adding that the production unit will be set up within a timeframe.

The Minister also asked about the delivery of U.S.-made Apache AH-64E helicopters, which Mr. Hegseth said will be delivered by this year.

“The two leaders discussed a wide canvas of issues ranging from long-term cooperation in the defence sector, including training and military exchanges, to expanding the industry collaboration. They agreed to further build upon the momentum of this critical and mutually beneficial partnership across all its pillars such as interoperability, integration of defence industrial supply chains, logistics sharing, increased joint military exercises and cooperation with other like-minded partners,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Mr. Singh appreciated the unwavering support extended by the U.S. to India in its fight against terrorism, the statement added. The Defence Minister also complimented the Secretary of Defense for his dynamic leadership which has propelled defence cooperation between U.S. and India to new levels.