Trump claims he averted India-Pak war with ‘250% tariff threat’; says Modi is 'the nicest looking guy'

Speaking in South Korea, Trump said he intervened after the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor in May, which he described as escalating into a near-war.

“Seven planes were shot down. They were really starting to go,” Trump was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“I told Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan’s leaders I’d impose a 250 per cent tariff, which means they’d never do business. After two days, they said, ‘we understand,’ and stopped fighting,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly linked himself to the May 10 ceasefire, though New Delhi maintains that military action was suspended only after a direct request from Islamabad, and not due to any US involvement.

Neither India nor Pakistan has responded to his latest remarks.

He went on to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him “the nicest-looking guy, but tough as hell,” while highlighting progress on a US–India trade deal.

Currently, Washington has imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, half as a “reciprocal” measure to address trade imbalance, and half as a “penalty tax” for India’s continued import of discounted Russian crude oil, which Trump claims fuels the Ukraine conflict.

He said the rate could drop to 15 per cent once the long-delayed trade pact is signed.

Talks are ongoing to raise bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, though disagreements over access to India’s dairy and agriculture sectors remain unresolved.

In June, India confirmed that Prime Minister Modi had told Trump directly that New Delhi would not accept third-party mediation in matters involving Pakistan, rejecting any suggestion that the US influenced the Operation Sindoor ceasefire.