As the situation between India and Pakistan becomes more serious after deadly attacks and military action, the United States has said it will not directly get involved. However, it will keep trying to reduce tensions between the two countries.

US Vice President JD Vance made it clear that Washington will not intervene in the middle of this regional conflict. “We’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business,” he said in a TV interview on Friday. Vance added, “Look, we’re concerned any time nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict.”

His comments came just a day after India carried out a major military operation called Operation Sindoor inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was in response to a terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.

India said it struck “terror infrastructure” in the area responsible for the Pahalgam attack. In response, Pakistan tried to launch missile and drone attacks on Indian military bases in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and other places on Thursday night. But India’s air defence systems stopped these attacks. Afterward, India said it is “fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people.”

US hopes for peace, but says it can’t control either side

Vance, whose family was visiting India at the time of the Pahalgam attack, said the conflict was a serious issue but not something the US could control. “We can’t control these countries,” he said. “Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan. Pakistan has responded to India. What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit.”

He also made it clear that the US does not want to force either country to take any steps. “America can’t tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can’t tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so we’re going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels,” Vance said.

He added that while the US is watching the conflict carefully, it is hopeful that it won’t turn into a larger war. “Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict. But sure, we’re worried about these things,” he said. “But I think the job of diplomacy, but also the job of cooler heads in India and Pakistan, is to make sure this doesn’t become a nuclear war. If it happened, of course it would be disastrous. Right now we don’t think that’s going to happen.”

US steps up diplomacy, talks with India and Pakistan

At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has increased diplomatic efforts. On Thursday, he spoke separately with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to the US State Department, Rubio asked both leaders to work on “immediate de-escalation.” He also gave condolences for the Pahalgam attack during his call with Jaishankar and promised US support for India’s fight against terrorism. He asked both sides to talk directly and improve communication.

During his call with Sharif, Rubio asked Pakistan to take “concrete steps” to stop terrorist groups working in the region.

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