Trump reiterates claim of mediating India-Pakistan conflict
US president says tariffs ‘averted nuclear war’ in May 2025
Washington: US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that his use of trade tariffs and economic pressure helped prevent a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan during the May 2025 escalation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Trump, in an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, claimed that both South Asian neighbours were “on the brink of nuclear conflict” and that his threat to suspend US trade access compelled them to step back from confrontation and negotiate.
“It did work with India and it did work with Pakistan. I can tell you if it wasn’t for tariffs and trade, I wouldn’t have been able to make the deals,” Trump said. “India does a lot of business with us. They were going to have a nuclear war with Pakistan. I told both of them — if you guys don’t work out a deal fast, you’re not going to do any business with the United States.”
Trump said his intervention helped “stop a bad war” after both countries engaged in cross-border aerial strikes, describing the situation as “dangerously close to nuclear escalation.”
The US President’s remarks refer to the May 2025 flare-up following India’s so-called “Operation Sindoor”. Pakistan responded with measured retaliation, calling India’s actions “reckless and provocative.”
Trump, meanwhile, expanded his claims to other global conflicts, saying his approach had “worked in 60 per cent of cases,” citing examples such as Cambodia-Thailand, Kosovo-Serbia, Congo-Rwanda, Israel-Iran, and Armenia-Azerbaijan.
Observers note that Trump’s repeated references to the India-Pakistan conflict highlight Washington’s enduring strategic interest in South Asia — particularly the risk of escalation between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
