US President Donald Trump has intensified his longstanding claim that he played a decisive role in halting the military confrontation between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Speaking at an event in Washington, DC, Trump asserted that he warned both nations of a 350% tariff on all trade with the United States if they did not de-escalate.
According to Trump, the dramatic threat pushed both countries to step back from what he described as the brink of a nuclear clash. “India and Pakistan were ready to go at it with nuclear weapons,” he said. “I told them, you can go ahead, but I will impose a 350 percent tariff on both countries. No more trade with the United States.”
Trump defended his tariff-driven foreign policy, claiming the approach helped him “settle five of eight wars” during his political career. He also criticized former President Joe Biden, suggesting Biden would not have understood “what countries we were talking about.”
The former president emphasised that his priority was preventing large-scale loss of life. “I’m not going to have you firing nuclear weapons at each other and causing nuclear dust to float over Los Angeles,” he said. “I was all set to impose a 350 percent tariff to stop that war.”
The 350% figure marks an escalation from Trump’s earlier statements. In October, he claimed he had threatened 200% tariffs to pressure India and Pakistan into ending hostilities.
Trump further stated that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally thanked him for “saving millions of lives.” He added that he later received a call from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Modi said, ‘We’re done.’ I asked, ‘Done with what?’ He said, ‘We’re not going to war.’”
While the Pakistan government has publicly acknowledged Trump’s role, India has consistently maintained that the ceasefire was achieved bilaterally, without any third-party intervention.
