Trump says ‘10 planes shot down’, credits tariff pressure for ending Pakistan-India war
US President Donald Trump speaks on the day he announced the creation of a critical mineral reserve, in the Oval Office at the White House, February 2, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he halted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by threatening tariffs, reiterating a claim he has made repeatedly since May.
In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Trump said he used trade pressure to bring multiple conflicts to an end.
"I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs. In other words, I said, ‘if you don't settle this war, I'm going to charge you tariffs, because I don't want to see people getting killed,” Trump said.
Referring specifically to India and Pakistan, he added: "And they said, ‘Well, what does this have to do?’ I said, ‘You're going to be charged. Like India and Pakistan. It would have been a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it; 10 planes were shot down. They were going at it,” Trump said.
Trump on India-Pakistan tensions Again:
"It would have turned into a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it. Ten planes were shot down. They were going at it hard. Without tariffs, I think it could’ve gone nuclear." pic.twitter.com/WcPBCpksgOSince the ceasefire between India and Pakistan last year, he has repeatedly brought it up whenever mentioning all the wars he has stopped.
In an event at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, December 2025, the US President had reiterated claims that he helped prevent a war between Pakistan and India in May 2025. He praised Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, calling him a "highly respected general".
"We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India," Trump said in response to a question, alongside Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.
The US president mentioned that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited him with saving lives through his intervention and mediation.
"You know, eight planes were shot down. That war was starting to rage, and he actually said the other day that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more," he said.
The wars that Trump has managed to stop from escalating in question are, as reported by BBC, the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the other seven were between Israel and Iran, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.
A number of these conflicts lasted only a few days, although they were the result of long-standing tensions. Whether the peace treaties signed have held up or not is an ongoing debate.