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Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for halting a potential conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year — this time saying he did so by threatening both nations with a staggering 250% trade tariff.
Speaking during a stop in South Korea on his recent Asia tour, Donald Trump reiterated his claim that he stopped a possible India–Pakistan war following Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Trump said he warned both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s leadership that the United States would impose a 250% tariff on their countries if they continued hostilities.
“I said I was going to put 250 per cent on each country… which means they will never do business. That was a nice way of saying ‘we don’t want to do business with you’,” Trump told reporters.
According to Trump, both leaders initially resisted, saying, “no, no, no, you should let us fight,” but allegedly backed down two days later. “They said, ‘we understand’ and stopped fighting,” he claimed.
India, however, has repeatedly dismissed Trump’s assertions, maintaining that the ceasefire followed a direct request from Pakistan, not U.S. intervention.
The former president went on to praise PM Modi, calling him “the nicest-looking guy… but tough as hell,” and noted that he continues to have “great respect and love” for the Indian leader.
Trump also referenced ongoing U.S.–India trade negotiations, stating that Washington had imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods — half of which is a “reciprocal” levy to address trade imbalances, and the other half a penalty tax over India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil.
While the tariff could be reduced to 15% once the long-delayed trade deal is signed, negotiations remain stalled. Key disagreements include U.S. demands for greater access to India’s dairy and agriculture sectors, while India has made it clear that trade talks have no link to Operation Sindoor or the ceasefire.
In a statement issued in June, the Indian government said Prime Minister Modi had clarified during a phone conversation with Trump that India “would never accept third-party mediation” in disputes with Pakistan.
Neither India nor Pakistan have issued any official response to Trump’s latest remarks.
