Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again asserted his pivotal role in quelling a significant escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. He claims his unorthodox approach, which involved threatening both nations with crippling tariffs, effectively ‘stopped the fighting’ between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
During a recent interview with Fox News on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Mr. Trump elaborated on his philosophy, stating that his ‘ability’ to wield trade sanctions and tariffs as a diplomatic tool was instrumental in achieving ‘peace to the world’ across various global hotspots.
According to Trump, tariffs offer ‘a tremendous road to peace and the saving of millions of lives, just millions and millions of lives,’ highlighting their potential beyond economic impact.
He proudly stated that his administration brokered seven peace deals, many between nations that had endured centuries of conflict and immense loss of life. He clarified that while not all seven agreements were trade-driven, ‘probably in at least five’ of them, trade leverage was the decisive factor. His stance was clear: ‘We’re not going to deal with people that fight.’
Trump described his ultimatum to these nations: ‘We are not going to let you deal in the United States. We’ll put tariffs on you.’
To underscore his point, he cited the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan, a conflict he once more claimed to have personally brought to a halt.
He recounted telling both India and Pakistan that the U.S. would sever trade ties and implement ‘massive tariffs’ if they didn’t ‘put it together’ and cease hostilities.
Trump dramatically illustrated the scenario: ‘You look at India and Pakistan, I said, well, we’re not going to do business with either of you if you don’t put it together. These are two nuclear nations. Seven planes were shot down, as you know, and they were really at it.’ He did not clarify which nation’s aircraft he was referring to.
His decisive intervention, he stated, involved declaring: ‘We’re not going to do any business with you. We’re not going to have anything to do with you. We are going to put massive tariffs on both of you…’ The outcome, he asserted, was swift: ‘And within 24 hours, I had a peace deal… they stopped the fighting.’
Trump also touted his Middle East peace efforts as an ‘incredible thing,’ pointing to the Israel-Hamas agreement to pause fighting as ‘so great for Israel, so great for Muslims, for the Arab countries, and for the United States.’
He concluded, ‘This is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East, and it’s an incredible thing.’
Contextually, India had initiated ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.
A mutual understanding to end the conflict was reached between India and Pakistan on May 10, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile exchanges.
It’s important to note that India has consistently maintained that the cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was achieved through direct discussions between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries’ armed forces.
Throughout his second term, Mr. Trump has frequently asserted that he successfully ended seven conflicts, listing India and Pakistan among them, alongside Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Since his May 10 social media announcement, where he declared a ‘full and immediate’ ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a ‘long night’ of Washington-mediated talks, Mr. Trump has reiterated his claim of ‘helping settle’ this conflict numerous times.