Rubio Meets New Zealand FM Peters on Indo-Pacific Security and Maritime Freedom of Navigation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with New Zealand Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Winston Peters to discuss strengthening defense cooperation and burden sharing in the Pacific. Rubio noted that the ultimate trade barrier is the inability to transit sea lanes, a pointed reference to the Hormuz and potential Bab al-Mandeb closures. Peters flagged New Zealand's concern over US threats toward Iranian civilian infrastructure. The meeting also covered cooperation on emerging technologies, particularly New Zealand's growing space sector.