Trump claims 10 aircraft shot down in India-Pakistan conflict, cites tariff threat

Washington: US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he prevented a war between India and Pakistan last May. He stated that both countries were heading toward nuclear war. In an interview with Fox News, the US President reiterated that he averted a potential nuclear war by using the threat of tariffs. He made a new claim that 10 planes were shot down in the confrontation between the two countries. The US President claimed that he resolved eight wars during his second term, at least six of which were resolved through the strategic use of tariffs. Trump has repeatedly credited himself with preventing wars between India and Pakistan. However, India has denied any third-party role in preventing the military conflict.

Donald Trump said, "I resolved eight wars. At least six of those were resolved through tariffs. In other words, I said, 'If you don't resolve this war, I'll impose tariffs on you because I don't want people to die.'" Trump referred to the military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025 and claimed that the two neighbors were on the verge of a major conflict that could have escalated into a nuclear war.

Claim of Downing 10 Planes

Trump said, "In my opinion, it would have been a nuclear war. They were really prepared for it. Ten planes were shot down. The Pakistani Prime Minister told me that President Trump saved at least 10 million lives." Trump said that this wouldn't have been possible without tariffs. This is the first time Trump has increased the number of planes shot down in the India-Pakistan war to 10. He initially stated five planes were shot down, later increasing it to seven and then eight. He never provided any facts or evidence to support this claim.

Armenia-Azerbaijan War Also Mentioned

In addition to India and Pakistan, Trump also mentioned other conflicts. He claimed to have resolved the decades-long tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan using trade. He said, "These countries do business with us. Azerbaijan—they were fighting for almost 32 years. I resolved it in a day. I said, 'You do a lot of business with us. We will impose tariffs on you.' We resolved that war in just a day and a half."