President Trump Claims Role in Stopping India-Pakistan War, Warned India on Tariffs; India Clarifies Ceasefire Was Its Own Decision, Not Due to External Pressure
India-US: US President Donald Trump has once again highlighted his purported role in the tense situation between India and Pakistan. During a cabinet meeting at the White House, he stated that he was speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Operation Sindoor. According to Trump, he took active steps to prevent the threat of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan at that time.
Trump claimed that he threatened India with heavy tariffs, saying that if the two countries did not stop the war, there would be no progress on trade agreements. According to him, this pressure was effective in stopping the India-Pakistan conflict.
Trump's Story Embellished
Trump has often narrated the story of his role during the India-Pakistan conflict with embellishments. He stated that during Operation Sindoor, the animosity between India and Pakistan was very high, and this conflict had been going on for many years. Trump said he spoke to Prime Minister Modi and made it clear that if the war continued, there would be no progress on trade agreements, and India would be subjected to tariffs so high that it would "make your head spin."
Trump said he warned India and Pakistan to take immediate action to stop the fighting. He claimed that the war situation was very serious, resulting in the downing of seven or more fighter planes.
Mention of US Trade Pressure
President Trump stated that he tried to reduce tensions through trade pressure. He said he had stated, "I don't want to make a trade deal with you if you guys keep fighting. You've got to straighten that out in 24 hours." Trump claims that this step of his helped stop the war.
He also said that approximately $150 million worth of aircraft were destroyed in the fighting. Trump had previously mentioned five, and now says seven or more. He claims the situation during the war was so serious that it could have turned into a nuclear war if it had not been stopped in time.
India's Reaction
India has always denied that any third party stopped the war during Operation Sindoor. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the ceasefire was the result of India's own strategic decisions, and there was no external pressure involved.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also clarified in Parliament that there was no third-party mediation. Other senior ministers, including Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah, have also rejected the claim that the US or any other country was involved in stopping the India-Pakistan conflict.
Trump's Claim
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he played a role in stopping the war between India and Pakistan. He says that if the war had continued, it could have turned into a nuclear war. But Indian officials and the Prime Minister have repeatedly stated that this ceasefire was the result of India's own strategic decision.
