Trump Claims He Prevented India-Pakistan Nuclear War, Says 10 Planes Were Shot Down

Washington: Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he prevented a potential war between India and Pakistan last May, asserting that his threat of tariffs helped avert a nuclear conflict. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that during the military escalation, 10 planes were shot down.

Trump Credits Tariffs for Peace

Trump reiterated that during his second term, he resolved eight conflicts, with at least six being settled through the strategic use of tariffs. “In other words, I said, if you don’t resolve this war, I will impose tariffs because I don’t want people to die,” Trump told reporters, referring to the May 2025 military standoff between India and Pakistan. He claimed that without his intervention, the confrontation could have escalated into a nuclear war.

According to Trump, the Prime Minister of Pakistan told him that his actions saved at least 10 million lives. This is the first time Trump has claimed that 10 aircraft were downed during the escalation. Previously, he had mentioned five planes, then raised the figure to seven and later eight, without providing evidence to support these numbers.

Other Conflicts Resolved Through Trade

Besides India and Pakistan, Trump claimed he used trade tools to mediate other long-standing conflicts. He cited the decades-long tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying, “These countries do business with us. Azerbaijan—they had been fighting for almost 32 years. I solved it in one day. I said, if you don’t cooperate on business, we will impose tariffs. We resolved that war in just one and a half days.”

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for preventing conflicts between India and Pakistan, though India has consistently denied that any third-party intervention played a role in stopping military escalation.