(Commonwealth_India) Donald Trump has once again claimed that he personally defused rising tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year, an assertion he has now repeated more than 60 times, despite India consistently rejecting the idea that any outside country played a role.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in New York, Trump outlined a dramatic scenario, warning both nuclear-armed neighbors that the US would impose a crippling 350 percent tariff on them unless they retreated from the brink of conflict. According to him, this threat alone prevented a potential conflict.
Trump told the audience that he has always been skilled at resolving disputes and pointed to India and Pakistan as an example. He claimed that both countries were on the verge of a serious escalation, even mentioning nuclear weapons, before he stepped in. He said he told them they could “go at it,” but if they did, the US would impose a huge tariff and halt trade with both countries. Trump insisted that both governments reacted with alarm and urged him not to impose the penalty.
According to Trump, he told them he was fully prepared to go ahead unless they backed away from war. He claimed to have even informed then-Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the impending tariffs. Trump then shifted to saying that if India and Pakistan stood down, the US would be open to negotiating “a nice trade deal.”
Trump went on to say that his unusual use of tariffs was the key to resolving not just this confrontation but also several other international conflicts. He claimed Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had thanked him personally, right in front of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, for preventing a disaster and saving millions of lives.
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him to confirm that India had decided not to go to war. Trump recalled asking Modi, “You’re done with what?” only to be told, “We’re not going to go to war.” Trump said he then encouraged Modi to move forward with trade discussions. He repeated these claims again the previous day during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying that he had saved “millions of people” by stepping in.
The statements follow Trump’s May 10 announcement on social media, where he declared that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after what he described as a long night of US-mediated talks. Since then, he has often repeated the story as evidence of his ability to avert conflicts.
India, however, has firmly rejected this version of events. According to New Delhi, there was no American intervention. Officials assert that the Directors General of Military Operations of both countries directly agreed to the cessation of hostilities on May 10. The ceasefire came after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror-related infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the deadly Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. Despite India’s consistent denials, Trump continues to present the episode as one of his major diplomatic successes, repeating the claim frequently at public events and in interviews.
