Trump says tariff threat stopped India-Pakistan war during Operation Sindoor

Trump claimed US tariff threats forced India and Pakistan to stop fighting during Operation Sindoor. India rejected the assertion again, insisting the pause followed direct military contact with Pakistan.Trump, speaking at Camp David, again said he had stopped eight wars during his presidency. US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that India and Pakistan were "very angry, and screamed and yelled" when the US threatened tariffs if they did not stop their war during Operation Sindoor last year. He also said 11 planes were shot down in the conflict, a claim disputed by New Delhi.Trump, speaking at Camp David, again said he had stopped eight wars during his presidency. He also asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. India, however, has maintained that the ceasefire understanding during Operation Sindoor came after Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart, and has consistently denied any third-party intervention.At a media interaction after a televised meeting with his cabinet colleagues, Trump said, "We ended the India-Pakistan (war). 11 planes were shot down. That was raging. That was good. I used tariffs. I said, 'If you're going to go to war, 250 per cent tariff.' Each of them."He added, "And they (India and Pakistan) screamed and yelled and were very angry. They were both angry about it. A day later they called and they said, 'We will not go to war'." Trump also said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told him that he had saved 50 million lives by stopping the war between the two nuclear powers. India had carried out Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India launched the operation on May 7 last year to destroy terror bases in PoK that were used to plan the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The operation was paused on May 10 following a request from Pakistan.In sum, Trump repeated his claim that US tariff threats helped stop the India-Pakistan conflict during Operation Sindoor, while India has continued to reject any suggestion of third-party involvement in the ceasefire understanding. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 31, 2026 23:16 IST