Star Metro - Iceland is 'critical outpost' for security, says Rubio during visit

His trip came after US President Donald Trump has stirred up the power balance in the region by making threats to buy or annex Greenland.

The US signed a security pact with Denmark and Greenland in late September that will allow Washington to establish two new military bases there, drawing the autonomous Danish territory further into US orbit.

Rubio said at a news conference that Iceland had long served as "a critical outpost for monitoring clandestine behaviour and deterring our adversaries".

He arrived in Reykjavik on Monday and has held talks with Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir and top diplomat Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir.

They covered topics including geothermal energy, data centres and the pharmaceutical industry.

With competition on the rise in the Arctic, Iceland has regained status as a strategic player, even as the island continues to rely heavily on the US for security.

"For decades this nation, Iceland, has occupied a critical strategic position for our collective security and that remains true today more than ever before," Rubio said.

At the start of September, Trump sparked new controversy by sharing an AI-generated map that appeared to show all of North America, the Caribbean, Greenland and Iceland as "the United States of America."

In response, Reykjavik summoned the US ambassador and called the image "wholly inappropriate".

Gunnarsdottir said on Tuesday the issue had now been dealt with and she also welcomed the US deal with Greenland, adding that her country would continue strengthening ties with Washington.

- EU rejected -

Trump again signalled his obsession with Greenland on Sunday, posting on his Truth Social platform an AI-generated image of his face looming over what appears to be its landscape, accompanied by the words "Hello, Greenland!".

Icelanders voted in late August 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent against resuming negotiations on joining the EU, which have been frozen since 2013.

Since gaining independence in 1944, Iceland has never had a military. It relies on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for its security and on a bilateral defence pact signed with the US in 1951.

Washington does not have a permanent base in Iceland, but is looking to consolidate its control over Arctic access routes coveted by Russia and China.

Later Tuesday, Rubio left Iceland for Athens where he will participate in a "strategic dialogue" with NATO member Greece on regional and energy security, the State Department said.

The wars in Iran and Ukraine have laid bare the fragility of energy supply chains, and Greece is positioning itself to become a key hub in southeastern Europe for natural gas transport.

The visit follows media reports about possible conflicts of interest involving the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. and ex-wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

In a letter addressed to Rubio, Congressman Gregory Meeks sought clarification of a Wall Street Journal report alleging that Guilfoyle had stated the United States could create "political change" in European countries.

Rubio later wraps up his European tour with a brief stop in Lisbon.

T. MacDonald--SMC