Former US President Donald Trump has reiterated his assertion that the United States played a crucial role in halting a military conflict between India and Pakistan, claiming that trade negotiations were instrumental in averting potential nuclear confrontation.
During a press conference alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump stated, "We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned into a nuclear disaster, and I want to thank the leaders of India and Pakistan, and I want to thank my people. Also, we talk trade, and we say we can't trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. They're great leaders in those countries, and they understood and they agreed, and that all stopped."
This declaration follows recent support from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who, in a filing to the Court of International Trade, emphasized that Trump leveraged emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariff measures safeguarding national interests.
Trump's comments echo his earlier remarks made in South Africa, where he similarly claimed to have settled tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors through trade diplomacy.
However, the Indian government officially refuted these claims. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified, "From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 until the cessation on May 10, there was conversation between India and the US... (but) the issue of tariffs never came up in these discussions."
Despite contrasting views, Trump's statements underscore the complex interplay between diplomatic and economic strategies aimed at de-escalating regional conflicts.