Washington D.C.: In a recent televised interview, US President Donald Trump reignited debate over his role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that his administration’s threat of steep trade tariffs helped prevent a potential nuclear conflict between the two neighbors.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump claimed that his intervention brought an abrupt halt to escalating hostilities between the two nuclear-armed nations. “They were in serious conflict. Seven planes were shot down — that’s a lot — and it could have easily turned into a nuclear war,” Trump said, without clarifying whether the aircraft belonged to India, Pakistan, or both.
Trump went on to say that he issued a stern warning to both New Delhi and Islamabad, threatening to impose 200% tariffs if the skirmish didn’t end immediately. “I told them, we’re going to slap 200% tariffs, which would make trade impossible. You won’t be able to do business with the United States,” he said.
According to Trump, this pressure strategy worked quickly. “Within 24 hours, the war was over,” he added. He also claimed that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally thanked him for preventing further bloodshed, saying millions of lives were saved as a result of U.S. intervention.
While Trump has made similar claims in the past, this latest statement marks one of the few times he has cited specific casualties — in this case, seven aircraft shot down — during the short-lived confrontation.
The conflict he referred to took place in early May, when rising tensions between India and Pakistan erupted following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting suspected terrorist camps across the Line of Control, including areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The violence escalated into a four-day exchange of drone strikes and missile attacks before both sides agreed to cease hostilities on May 10. That agreement, according to Indian officials, came about following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both countries — with no third-party mediation involved.
India has repeatedly downplayed suggestions of external involvement in brokering peace with Pakistan, asserting that the de-escalation was the result of bilateral military-level communication.
The former U.S. president has, however, repeatedly credited his administration for bringing the two countries back from the brink. He first made the claim on May 10 through a social media post, and since then, has reiterated it multiple times during campaign rallies and interviews.
Neither India nor Pakistan has confirmed the figure Trump mentioned regarding downed aircraft, and officials in both capitals have so far remained silent on his latest remarks.
