US President recounts conversation with PM Modi and Pakistan, says his intervention stopped escalation after Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor
Washington DC, August 27: US President Donald Trump has once again stirred debate by asserting that he personally intervened to prevent a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump claimed he had spoken directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani leaders, warning Islamabad that continued hostilities would come at a heavy economic cost.
“I’m talking to a very terrific man, Modi of India. I said, what’s going on with you and Pakistan? Then I spoke to Pakistan about trade. I told them, ‘You’re going to end up in a nuclear war. I don’t want to make a trade deal with you if this continues. I’ll put tariffs so high your head will spin.’ Within five hours, it was done,” Trump recounted.
The US President claimed that this pressure was decisive in halting escalation. “Now maybe it starts again, I don’t know. But I’ll stop it if it does. We can’t let these things happen,” he added.
Trump’s Fighter Jet Claim and Earlier Remarks
Trump went further, repeating his controversial claim that seven fighter jets were shot down during the skirmishes.
“I saw they were fighting, and seven jets were shot down. That’s not good. Those are USD 150 million planes each. They didn’t even report the real number,” he insisted.
This isn’t the first time Trump has made such statements. Earlier, he had claimed five planes were destroyed, crediting his intervention and threat of trade sanctions for stopping a larger war.
On Monday, during a bilateral meeting with the South Korean President, Trump again boasted:
“The war with India and Pakistan was going to be the next level — a nuclear war. They were raging, and I said, ‘No trade unless you stop.’ Within 24 hours, they said, ‘Well, there’s no more war going on.’ I’ve used that strategy many times.”
White House Supports Trump’s Version — But India Denies
The White House has backed Trump’s narrative. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt credited his intervention with helping secure a ceasefire after Operation Sindoor — an Indian Air Force strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on May 7.
India, however, has flatly denied any third-party involvement. According to Indian officials, it was Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who contacted his Indian counterpart directly on May 10, leading to the ceasefire agreement.
Backdrop: The Pahalgam Terror Attack and TRF Ban
The crisis was triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 civilians. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
On June 17, the US officially designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said:
“The organisation claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.”
India welcomed the US move, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar calling it a strong signal of deepening India–US counter-terrorism cooperation.
“The Resistance Front is a front organisation of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and we welcome this designation as a strong affirmation of India–US counter-terrorism cooperation,” Jaishankar stated.
Trump’s Repeated Boast
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for defusing India–Pakistan tensions, often framing it as evidence of his hardline approach to foreign policy. His remarks, however, have often been met with skepticism in India and viewed as political posturing.
For now, the narrative remains contested — while Washington highlights Trump’s trade-pressure diplomacy, New Delhi insists the ceasefire was negotiated directly between the two nuclear neighbors.