Florida: US President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for averting a military confrontation between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, asserting that he brought the fighting to a halt by threatening both nations with a punitive 250 per cent trade tariff.
Addressing a campaign rally here, boasting of his diplomatic interventions on the international stage, Trump said that his direct ultimatum to the leadership of both countries swiftly brought hostilities to an end.
"You stop India and Pakistan, two nuclear nations. I said, 'Fellas, if you guys are going to do that, you're not going to trade with the United States. I'm going to put massive tariffs on both of you, 250 per cent, so you won't be able to do any business," US President said.
Claiming that the warning forced both sides to back off, Trump added: "They got very upset, very angry; they stopped shooting, and the war was over. Eleven planes were shot. I stopped all these wars, and it's really an honour to do so."
Expressing unfairness over not receiving international accolades for his claimed diplomatic interventions, Trump remarked, "I've settled eight wars. Did I get the Nobel Prize? No."
Meanwhile, India has consistently disputed Trump's claims regarding the loss of 11 aircraft during the engagement while remaining steadfast in rejecting any external mediation.
India has reiterated that the ceasefire understanding during Operation Sindoor was reached only after Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) reached out to his Indian counterpart to request a halt in military action.
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India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year as a decisive, targeted response to destroy terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). The anti-terror operation was carried out to dismantle terror bases that were utilised to plan the horrific April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Following effective Indian strikes that dismantled key terror launchpads, the operation was paused on May 10 after a formal request from the Pakistside.