Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered US mediation in the escalating conflict between Pakistan and India while speaking separately with his counterparts in both countries, kra cc according to State Department readouts.

Rubio spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in separate calls, during which he "emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation," according to the readouts.

He also spoke earlier with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, during which he "continued to urge both parties to find ways" to de-escalate.

The secretary of state offered US help to mediate "in order to avoid future conflicts," the readout said.

This is the first such offer of US assistance mentioned in readouts of his calls with Pakistani or Indian officials.