WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI — U.S. President Donald Trump has once again claimed that his threat of steep tariffs was the decisive factor in ending last year’s armed conflict between India and Pakistan, insisting his intervention prevented a potential nuclear war.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he warned both countries that trade deals would collapse and tariffs would “go so high your head’s gonna spin” if hostilities continued.
“India and Pakistan were gonna end up in a nuclear war if I didn’t stop them,” Trump declared. “Seven jets were shot down … $150 million planes were destroyed, maybe more than that — they didn’t even report the real number. Within about five hours, it was done.”
He added that he had spoken directly to leaders in both New Delhi and Islamabad, describing the “tremendous hatred” between the two sides. “I said, ‘Call me back tomorrow, but we’re not gonna do any deals with you’ … and that’s what stopped it.”
Mixed Reactions in South Asia
Trump has repeatedly taken credit for brokering the ceasefire, a claim that has been met with very different responses in India and Pakistan.
- India has flatly rejected the narrative, arguing that the ceasefire was arranged through bilateral military channels, not through American pressure. New Delhi has grown increasingly irritated at what it sees as Washington’s tendency to insert itself into the long-standing India-Pakistan rivalry.
- Pakistan, meanwhile, has been more welcoming. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has praised Trump for his “leadership and proactive role” in helping both nations “achieve peace in the region.”
Tariffs as a Diplomatic Tool
The latest remarks come just as Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian exports took effect, a move he justified by citing India’s continued purchases of Russian crude oil and defence hardware.
Trump has made tariffs a cornerstone of his foreign policy, wielding them not only as an economic weapon but also as leverage in geopolitical disputes.
“Alluding to the possibility the conflict could reignite,” he added, “I don’t think so, but I’ll stop it if it does. We can’t let these things happen.”
For now, Trump’s claims continue to stir debate — and highlight the sharply contrasting ways India and Pakistan view U.S. involvement in one of the world’s most volatile rivalries.