Trump Claims India-Pakistan Conflict Could Have Turned Nuclear, Says 10 Planes Were Shot Down

US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he prevented a full-scale war between India and Pakistan last year, warning that the confrontation could have escalated into a nuclear exchange. In a recent interview with Fox Business, Trump claimed that “10 planes were shot down” during the hostilities and credited his use of trade tariffs with forcing a de-escalation.

Speaking about his broader foreign policy achievements, Trump referenced the May 2025 tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which followed India’s Operation Sindoor in response to a terror attack. “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,” he said.

Trump reiterated that he had threatened tariffs to halt the fighting, adding that Pakistan’s Prime Minister had told him he “saved at least 10 million lives” by intervening. He linked the resolution directly to economic pressure, stating the conflict would have gone nuclear “without tariffs.”

This marks the latest iteration of Trump’s recurring claim about brokering peace in the region, which he has mentioned dozens of times since the ceasefire on May 10, 2025. Earlier versions of his statements cited lower figures for downed aircraft—starting from around five, then rising to six, seven, eight, and now ten—prompting questions and online commentary about the evolving details.

The president’s comments come amid ongoing discussions on US-India trade relations and regional stability in South Asia. Trump has frequently highlighted the episode as evidence of his deal-making prowess in averting major global crises.