Kathmandu, October 28
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that he helped end the India-Pakistan military conflict by threatening to impose 250 percent tariffs on both countries if they continued fighting.
Addressing a midterm election rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Wednesday, Trump said trade measures had helped resolve five of the eight wars he claimed to have ended, citing India and Pakistan as an example.
“I ended eight wars, but five of them were ended by the use of trade, like India and Pakistan,” Trump said.
Recalling his intervention during the military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, Trump said he had contacted the prime ministers of both countries and warned them of severe economic consequences if hostilities continued.
He claimed that 11 aircraft had been shot down during the confrontation and said the fighting could have had catastrophic consequences given that both countries possess nuclear weapons.
“I said, if you go to war, if you keep doing this, I’m going to put 250% tariff on each of you, and you’re never going to be able to do business in the United States,” Trump said.
According to Trump, the two leaders initially objected to his warning, but he insisted that he would impose the tariffs.
He suggested that the threat may have given both sides a reason to step back from further escalation.
“They might have been happy that I did it. Maybe it was an excuse for them not to fight. Who the hell wants to fight like that?” he said.
Trump also claimed that hostilities ended immediately after his intervention, citing remarks he attributed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“But they immediately ended the war, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, highly respected man, said, ‘President Donald Trump saved at least 30 million lives,’” Trump said.
Trump made similar remarks at a campaign rally in Florida on October 23, claiming that his tariff warning had forced India and Pakistan to stop fighting. He also expressed frustration that he had not received the Nobel Peace Prize despite his claimed diplomatic achievements.
India, however, has consistently rejected Trump’s claims of playing a decisive role in securing the ceasefire and has disputed his account of 11 aircraft being shot down during the confrontation.
New Delhi has maintained that the understanding to halt military action was reached after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The operation targeted what India described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
India said the operation was paused on May 10 following a request from Pakistan.
Trump’s latest remarks also came amid his criticism of the decision to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist of Indian origin. He has repeatedly argued that his claimed role in resolving international conflicts made him deserving of the honour.
In a post on Truth Social on October 10, Trump listed what he described as his achievements in resolving conflicts, securing hostage releases and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while questioning why he or the United States had not received the award.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on October 9 that Pillay had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law.
