US President Donald Trump has reignited controversy with his repeated assertion that he personally prevented India and Pakistan from engaging in a nuclear war following the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump claimed that both nations were on the brink of catastrophe until he intervened.
According to Trump, the conflict lasted four days, during which “seven jets or maybe more” were shot down. He did not specify whether the aircraft belonged to India or Pakistan but insisted the situation was spiralling dangerously. “India and Pakistan were going to end up in a nuclear war if I didn’t stop them. I saw them fighting, then I saw seven jets shot down. I said, ‘That’s not good, that’s a lot of jets’,” Trump remarked.
He went on to assert that he pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly, warning him of dire trade consequences if hostilities continued. Recounting his version of events, Trump said, “I was speaking with a very terrific man, Prime Minister Modi. I asked him what was happening with Pakistan. The hatred was tremendous. I told him, ‘I don’t want to make a trade deal with you if this goes on. If you don’t stop, we’ll put tariffs on you so high, your head will spin.’”
The US President claimed this warning led to a swift ceasefire. “Within about five hours, it was done,” Trump boasted, suggesting that Washington’s intervention forced New Delhi to step back from escalation. He also maintained that tensions could flare up again but vowed to act if necessary. “Maybe it starts again, maybe not. But if it does, I’ll stop it. We can’t let these things happen,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed himself as the key mediator since May 10, when he first announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after Washington’s involvement. However, New Delhi has consistently rejected his version of events, stressing that the truce was reached independently through talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, without any foreign intervention.
