‘It Was Back and Forth’: Trump repeats claim of averting ‘nuclear conflict’ between India and Pakistan

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) reiterated his claim of preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. 

Trump said he personally intervened to de-escalate tensions, asserting that both countries were “close to a nuclear conflict.” In his remarks, Trump said jets were being shot down repeatedly and that his diplomatic outreach was critical to halting the confrontation.

“We have stopped wars between India and Pakistan. They were probably going to end up in a nuclear war. They shot down five planes in the last attack. It was back and forth, back and forth. I called them and I said no more trade if you do this. They are both powerful nuclear nations. Who knows where that would have ended up, and I stopped it…” Trump stated, as ANI reported.

White House credits Trump’s diplomacy 

The comments came a day after the White House credited Trump’s involvement in brokering a ceasefire following India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on May 7.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted Trump’s foreign policy efforts in reducing global tensions: “Look at what the president has done on the world stage. He has ended wars, like India and Pakistan. He continues to work aggressively to end the war in Russia and Ukraine. He completely obliterated Iran’s nuclear sites. He has continued to hopefully negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, to end that conflict and release all of the hostages,” she said.

Trump has made similar claims over two dozen times since May 10, insisting his pressure tactics helped ensure peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

India rejects third-party mediation; credits direct military talks

India, however, has consistently denied any external mediation in the ceasefire process. According to Indian officials, it was Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who contacted his Indian counterpart on May 10, leading to a mutual agreement to cease hostilities.

The conflict had escalated following the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. India responded with targeted airstrikes under Operation Sindoor against terrorist infrastructure in PoK. The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, had claimed responsibility for the attack.

TRF declared foreign terrorist organisation by US

On June 17, the US Department of State designated The Resistance Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

In a formal statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The organisation claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.”

India welcomed the designation, calling it a strong message in bilateral counter-terror cooperation. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said: “The Resistance Front is a front organisation of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and we welcome this designation as a strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.”

(With ANI Inputs)