Trump credits tariffs for halting India-Pak clash, touts 'peacekeeper' role

US President Donald Trump, on Monday (local time), once again claimed that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan — but this time, he said it was due to his tariffs that the two nuclear-armed neighbours achieved a truce after four days of military confrontation.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that if he did not have the power of tariffs, at least four of the seven wars would have been raging. When asked whether he would shift his position on tariffs, the US President said, “Everybody said I am right, they find billions of dollars that they didn’t know they even had.”

He further added, “We’re a rich country again, we’re a powerful country because, you know, I’ve ended seven wars — at least half of them were because of my ability at trade and because of tariffs. If I didn’t have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging. If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down… I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective. Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we’re a peacekeeper because of tariffs.”

While Trump has consistently claimed credit for his efforts in ending hostilities between India and Pakistan in May after the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, the Indian government has rejected any involvement of a third party in the agreed ceasefire.

Trump’s remarks come days before the October 10 deadline for the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour he has long sought. The US President has been seeking international support for his nomination and recently reiterated that failing to receive the prize, even after “ending seven wars”, would be “an insult to the US.”

Tariffs are important for the US: Trump

Elaborating further, Trump said that tariffs are essential for the US, adding that they not only help Washington make monetary gains but also maintain peace.

“I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective… Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we’re a peacekeeper because of tariffs,” he said.

Trump lauds Pakistan Army Chief

Recently, Trump cited a statement by Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, who reportedly thanked him for “ending a potential war.” Munir and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the White House in September, shortly after attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and expressed gratitude to Trump for his intervention in the conflict.

India-Pakistan conflict

The Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6 and May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, the operation led to four days of intense military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.