Trump does it again! US president boasts about mediating Indo-Pak conflict, says ‘didn’t want nuclear dust over LA’

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he personally intervened to defuse a potential nuclear standoff between India and Pakistan–a statement he has repeated dozens of times despite New Delhi’s consistent denial of any third-party role.

Speaking at the US–Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday, Trump said he warned both countries of massive economic consequences during a period of heightened tension earlier this year. He claimed he threatened India and Pakistan with “350 per cent tariffs” to stop them from “going to war.”

‘350% tariff to settle that war’

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According to Trump, the two nuclear-armed neighbours were “ready to go at it,” prompting him to step in. “You know, I was talking about the different wars, and it’s, look, India, Pakistan, they were going to go out with nuclear weapons. I said, that’s okay, you can go at it, but I’m putting a 350 per cent tariff on each country, no more trade with the United States,” Trump said, ANI reported.

He claimed one side immediately objected, “No, no, you can’t do that.”

Trump said he responded, “I’m going to do it. Come back to me and I’ll take it down. But you, I’m not going to have you guys shooting nuclear weapons at each other, killing millions of people and having the nuclear dust floating over Los Angeles. I’m not going to do it.”

The US president added that he didn’t care whether the countries liked his stance or not.

Continuing his speech, Trump said the prime ministers of both countries acknowledged his intervention. He quoted Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as saying, “Thank you very much… President Trump saved millions and millions of lives.”

He then claimed, “I got a call from Prime Minister Modi saying, ‘We’re done.’ I said, you’re done with what? ‘We’re not going to go to war.’ I said, Thank you very much. Let’s make a deal.” Trump asserted that five of eight global conflicts were resolved due to his use of tariffs, and insisted no other president would have acted the way he did.

Trump’s remarks refer to the period of tension in May 2025, when India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

The brief four-day confrontation ended after both sides held direct military-level talks. Trump later announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a “long night” of US-mediated discussions.

Since then, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the conflict.

However, India has consistently denied any third-party involvement, stating that the ceasefire understanding was reached through direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two armies.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has publicly credited Trump for helping broker the ceasefire.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target terror camps following the deadly Pahalgam attack. On May 10, New Delhi said the cessation of hostilities was achieved after direct DGMO-level talks, maintaining that India does not accept foreign mediation on bilateral issues. Despite this, Trump continues to reiterate his version, claiming he “saved millions of lives” by stepping in and threatening both nations with unprecedented tariffs.