On August 27, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump once again reiterated that he personally played a pivotal role in preventing a potential nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan earlier this year.

Speaking at a White House cabinet meeting, Trump recounted conversations he claimed to have had with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—whom he described as a “very terrific man”—and Pakistani officials.

According to Trump, he directly warned Pakistan that its ongoing hostilities with India would endanger trade deals with the United States.

He alleged that he told Islamabad that continued escalatory behaviour would result in punitive tariffs or the cancellation of trade negotiations, thereby compelling them to de-escalate. Trump dramatically asserted that the threat of a nuclear exchange had become imminent, but that his intervention halted the crisis within “five hours.”

Trump also expanded on his earlier versions of the story, repeating his claim that fighter jets were shot down during the hostilities, but this time increasing the reported number from five to “seven or more.” He expressed dismay over the “USD 150 million planes” that were lost, insisting that the true extent of the clash was not fully reported.

Emphasising his role as a conflict-stopper, Trump told reporters that he had used the leverage of trade on numerous occasions to halt wars and that India–Pakistan tensions, which he described as “the next level that was going to be a nuclear war,” were among the biggest threats he had contained.

According to Trump, during the height of the tensions, he directly confronted both sides, instructing them to end the fighting immediately or face severe trade consequences. He claimed that within 24 hours of his ultimatum, the parties had put an end to hostilities.

This intervention, Trump said, prevented what could have spiralled into a devastating nuclear exchange between two powerful regional rivals. He further noted that his foreign policy approach—using trade as a bargaining chip instead of military force—has proven successful in avoiding wars across the globe, citing his handling of South Korea and other regions as additional examples.

The backdrop to Trump’s claims is the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025, carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a front group of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which killed 26 civilians.

The attack triggered a sharp escalation in tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, with India responding in early May through “Operation Sindoor,” a counter-terror strike that targeted militant camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan retaliated militarily, leading to days of hostilities, which included cross-border skirmishes and aerial confrontations. The White House has directly credited Trump’s intervention as being central to the eventual ceasefire, which was announced soon after on May 10.

However, India has consistently rejected the notion of any third-party mediation in the matter. According to Indian officials, the ceasefire agreement was arranged bilaterally through direct communication between India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and his Pakistani counterpart.

From New Delhi’s perspective, the de-escalation was the result of professional military-to-military dialogue rather than any external involvement, and India has underscored its long-held position that the India–Pakistan issue remains a strictly bilateral concern.

In the aftermath of the terror attack and ensuing crisis, Washington formally designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity on June 17, 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that TRF’s explicit role in the Pahalgam massacre necessitated this designation as part of broader counter-terrorism efforts.

India welcomed the move, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar describing it as a “strong affirmation of India–U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation.” He reiterated that TRF is a proxy outfit of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, an established Pakistan-based terror group, and praised Washington’s recognition of this linkage.

Ultimately, Trump’s repeated claims of averting nuclear war between India and Pakistan highlight his emphasis on a transactional, trade-centred diplomatic style.

While the White House has characterised his actions as vital in stopping the conflict, New Delhi’s denial of such intervention underscores the divergence in narratives between the United States and India on this sensitive episode.

Nevertheless, the crisis and its resolution brought renewed global attention to the risks posed by militancy emanating from Pakistan and the ever-present danger of escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Based On ANI Report