Trump at it again, says stopped nuclear war between India, Pak

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his claim that he personally intervened to prevent a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year, asserting that threats of crippling trade tariffs forced both sides to agree to a ceasefire.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to make a trade deal with you… You guys are going to end up in a nuclear war.’ … Within about five hours, it was done,” Trump told a White House cabinet meeting. “Now maybe it starts again. I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I’ll stop it if it does. We can’t let these things happen,” he added.

He recounted conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani officials, claiming he used trade leverage to defuse the crisis. “I was talking to a very terrific man, PM Modi, and asked, ‘What’s going on with you and Pakistan?’ Then I spoke to Pakistan about trade and asked, ‘What’s going on with you and India?’ The hatred was tremendous,” Trump said, pointing to the depth of the rivalry between the two neighbours.

He added that “seven or more” fighter jets worth $150 million had been shot down during the conflict — a figure he has repeated multiple times without specifying losses on either side.

Trump’s latest remarks coincide with Washington’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent from Wednesday. He has claimed over 40 times since May 10 that his administration secured a “full and immediate” ceasefire after Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border strikes on militant targets following a terror attack in Pahalgam.

India has firmly rejected Trump’s version, insisting the ceasefire followed direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries. “No leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor,” Modi had told Parliament earlier. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal have also denied any US role, stressing that trade did not figure in discussions with Washington. Pakistan, however, has acknowledged American involvement.

Trump has framed the episode as part of a wider foreign policy record, often saying he prevented “seven wars” globally.