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'35 million would have died if...': Trump's new claim on India-Pakistan conflict
US President Donald Trump further asserted that the situation could have spiralled into a nuclear war.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, telling lawmakers during his State of the Union address that his intervention had averted a potential nuclear conflict between the two countries.
Speaking before Congress, the US President further asserted that the situation could have spiralled into a nuclear war. “Pakistan and India would have been in a nuclear war,” Trump said, adding that "35 million people, said the Prime minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif), would have died if it were not for my involvement.”
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Since the confrontation in May 2025, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he was responsible for halting the India-Pakistan conflict. He has consistently maintained that his administration used trade agreements and tariff measures as leverage to dissuade both countries from escalating tensions, a claim New Delhi has not endorsed.
The Republican President was referring to the military confrontation that followed the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, last year, in which 26 civilians were killed. In response, India carried out strikes on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.
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Earlier last week, as well, Trump reiterated his claim that he had mediated between India and Pakistan during the May 2025 standoff.
Speaking at his Board of Peace event, US President Donald Trump said he had warned India and Pakistan that trade negotiations would be halted unless they resolved their differences. “...I called them, and I said, listen, I'm not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don't settle this up... And all of a sudden, we worked out a deal. I said, if you fight, I'm going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries,” he said.
In recent months, US President Donald Trump has claimed more than 80 times that he was responsible for halting the India-Pakistan conflict. He has also, on different occasions, cited varying figures regarding jets being shot down during the hostilities. However, he has not specified which side’s aircraft he was referring to in his remarks.
Meanwhile, New Delhi has maintained that the ceasefire understanding reached on May 10 was the outcome of direct talks between India and Pakistan, asserting that there was no third-party involvement in the process.
