Trump Claims Tariff Threat Pushed India and Pakistan Toward Truce; India Reiterates No Mediation

Former US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he played a key role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Speaking at an international business forum, Trump repeated his assertion that he threatened both nations with a 350% tariff to prevent escalation, saying this led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call and assure him that there would be no war.
Trump said he warned both countries that trade with the US would halt if they moved toward conflict. According to him, leaders from New Delhi and Islamabad urged him not to impose the tariffs, after which he suggested a trade deal could follow once tensions decreased.
He further claimed that both PM Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called to thank him, asserting that his approach “saved millions of lives.” Trump has repeated this claim more than 60 times since May.
India, however, maintains that no third-party mediation was involved. Officials have consistently stated that the ceasefire understanding was reached through direct discussions between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam attack.