US President Donald Trump has reiterated his controversial claim that American intervention was instrumental in preventing a potentially catastrophic conflict between India and Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent military response.
Speaking at a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk seated beside him, President Trump declared, “We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned into a nuclear disaster.”
The US President added, “We talked trade and we said, ‘we can’t trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons’.”
Trump extended his gratitude to the leaders of both nations for what he described as their cooperation in averting escalation. “I want to thank the leaders of India, the leaders of Pakistan, and I want to thank my people also,” he said.
The ceasefire followed days of cross-border tensions after a brutal attack on 22 April in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on 7 May, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated with attempted strikes on 8, 9, and 10 May, prompting further Indian responses.
Also read: Trump again claims credit for India-Pak ceasefire
Hostilities came to a halt on 10 May after an understanding was reached between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGsMO) of both nations. India has maintained that the ceasefire was the result of direct negotiations and that no third-party mediation was involved.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that India would continue to respond militarily to any future terror attacks. “India would again hit terrorists in Pakistan in response to any future terror strikes like the one in Pahalgam,” he said, implying that Operation Sindoor remains open-ended in nature.
President Trump, however, sought to frame the de-escalation as a diplomatic victory for Washington. “They understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped,” he said, referring to the leadership in New Delhi and Islamabad. “We are stopping others from fighting also, because ultimately, we can fight better than anybody. We have the greatest military in the world. We have the greatest leaders in the world.”
This is the latest in a series of pronouncements by President Trump positioning himself as the architect of peace in South Asia. While Indian authorities have not publicly challenged his assertion, New Delhi has consistently reiterated its stance that the truce was achieved through bilateral channels, without external involvement.
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