'Tariffs Did That': Trump Again Claims Credit for India-Pakistan Truce

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump once again asserted that his intervention played a decisive role in halting hostilities between India and Pakistan this May.

Speaking at an event in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday (November 5), the Republican leader claimed that his threats to impose trade restrictions compelled both the nations to agree to a truce.

Trump emphasised that he had resolved eight conflicts within the first nine months of his presidency, citing the India-Pakistan ceasefire as a key example. “You know, I was in the midst of a trade deal with both of them [India and Pakistan], and then I read on the front page of a certain newspaper... I heard they were going to war," he said.

“I said, this is war, and they are going at it. And they are two nuclear nations. I said, ‘I'm not going to make any trade deals with you guys unless you agree to peace," Trump mentioned, adding that his statement took both India and Pakistan by shock.

He asserted: "The two nations said 'No way. This has nothing to do...’ I said, ‘It has everything to do. You are nuclear powers. I'm not trading with you. We're not making any deals with you if you're at war with each other'."

Also read: Charts | India’s US Exports Fell 37.5% in Just 4 Months, Tariff-Exempt Sectors Also Suffered

According to Trump, his discussions with Indian and Pakistani officials occurred on May 9, 2025, with both the countries announcing a ceasefire the following day.

"A day later, I get a call saying, 'We made peace'. They stopped. I said, 'Thank you. Let's do trade'. Isn't that great? Tariffs did that… Without tariffs, that would have never happened," Trump added.

India has repeatedly rejected claims of any third-party intervention in the process of striking peace with Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that no foreign leader asked India to halt Operation Sindoor  – India’s strikes on terror bases in Pakistan following the terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.

However, on multiple occasions the US president claimed that he used trade to bring tensions down between India and Pakistan in May. Last week, for instance, speaking during an address on October 28 in South Korea ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Trump asserted that he used the threat of a 250% tariff imposition with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that seven planes were “shot down” in the strikes and counter-strikes.

Now, as Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, India’s exports to the United States have seen a massive 37.5% decline between May and September 2025, according to data released by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). Notably, even sectors that have been exempt from Trump’s rates – smartphones and pharmaceuticals – have seen a big dip in exports.

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