US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that he helped prevent a full-scale war between India and Pakistan earlier this year by threatening both countries with tariffs ranging from 100 to 200 percent.
The tensions had escalated in May after Pakistan allegedly intervened during India’s counterterror operation, Operation Sindoor, providing cover to militants accused of the April Pahalgam tourist massacre and clashing with Indian forces.
“I settled a few of the wars just based on tariffs. For example, between India and Pakistan, I said, if you guys want to fight a war and you have nuclear weapons, I am going to put big tariffs on you both — 100 per cent, 150 per cent, even 200 per cent,” Trump said while traveling to Egypt for a peace summit, where a truce between Israel and Hamas is expected to be finalized.
“I said I am putting tariffs. I had that thing settled in 24 hours. If I didn’t have tariffs, you could have never settled that war,” he added.
India, however, maintains that the ceasefire came after direct talks between senior military officials of both countries, without third-party involvement. New Delhi stated that Pakistan sought negotiations after suffering significant losses to its military infrastructure, including damage to nearly a dozen airbases and its air defense systems due to India’s retaliatory airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan, meanwhile, publicly acknowledged Trump’s role in de-escalation and even recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was ultimately awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for her dedication to democracy amid President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule.
Comments are closed.