Trump Revives India-Pak Conflict Claim, Mentions 11 Expensive Jets Shot Down

United States President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for averting a military conflict between India and Pakistan last May.

This time adding a dramatic new assertion that up to 11 “very expensive” fighter jets were shot down during the hostilities. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the US-led Gaza Board of Peace, Trump said he threatened both countries with steep trade penalties to force a resolution. “I said, if you fight, I am going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries. They both wanted to fight, but when it came to losing a lot of money, they backed down,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that he played a key role in diffusing tensions after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan’s terror infrastructure following the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians in April last year. He claimed that the standoff escalated to aerial combat, resulting in the loss of multiple aircraft, including 11 fighter jets. “That war was raging. Planes were being shot down. Very expensive jets. I got on the phone with both of them… and suddenly, we worked out a deal,” he said, adding that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly credited him with saving “25 million lives” by intervening at the critical moment.

Trump’s narrative highlights his use of economic leverage and personal diplomacy as decisive in ending the standoff.

India, however, has categorically rejected these claims. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that no third-party intervention was involved, emphasizing that the decision to de-escalate came solely at the DGMO level of both nations.