'Your Head's Going To Spin': Trump's Tariff 'Warning' To India And Pakistan During War

US President Donald Trump is not backing down from his claim that he was the one who stopped the kinetic actions between India and Pakistan following the conflict in May this year. He asserts that he personally spoke to the heads of state of both countries and prevented a ‘nuclear’ war. He said he used trade and tariff threats against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to persuade him to halt military actions over Pakistan.

However, New Delhi has rejected Trump’s claim of directing the ceasefire. The government stated that India and Pakistan agreed to stop hostilities after the Indian DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) received a call from his Pakistani counterpart requesting a ceasefire.

In his recent interview, Trump spoke about the supposed exchange with PM Modi, saying, "I am talking to a very terrific man, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. I said, 'What's going on with you and Pakistan? The hatred was tremendous.'"

The US President claimed that tensions between India and Pakistan have been ongoing "for a hell of a long time, like, sometimes with different names for hundreds of years."

He also reiterated that the rift between India and Pakistan has persisted “for a hell of a long time, like, sometimes with different names for hundreds of years.”

Although Pakistan became a country 78 years ago when India gained independence from British rule after a struggle lasting over 200 years, the subcontinent was then divided into India and Pakistan.

Tariffs Threat

Trump claimed that to broker a peace between the two Asian neighbours, he threatened PM Modi with Washington holding back trade and slapping New Delhi with high tariffs. 

#WATCH | "...I am talking to a very terrific man, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. I said what's going on with you and Pakistan. Then I am talking to Pakistan about trade. I said what's going on with you and India? The hatred was tremendous. This has been going on for a… pic.twitter.com/gJVOTmKjXN

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2025

Trump also claimed that he leveraged US trade policy as a tool to broker peace. "I said, I don't want to make a trade deal with you... You guys are going to end up in a nuclear war... We're not going to do any deals with you, or we're going to put tariffs on you that are so high, your head's going to spin," he said. According to him, a resolution between New Delhi and Islamabad was reached within “about five hours” of his discussions.

Trump’s Repeated Claims

This is not the first time Trump has credited himself with halting the India-Pakistan conflict. Since May 10, he has repeatedly asserted—over 40 times—that he mediated a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of U.S.-led talks. On Monday, speaking at the White House, he expanded the claim, saying he had stopped seven wars worldwide, four of which were resolved using trade and tariff leverage.

"I had tariffs and trade, and I was able to say, 'If you go fight and want to kill everybody, that is okay, but I am going to charge you each a 100% tariff when you trade with us.' They all gave up," he stated. He described the India-Pakistan confrontation as particularly dangerous: "The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war... They already shot down 7 jets—that was raging. I said, 'You want to trade? You’ve got 24 hours to settle it.' They said, 'Well, there's no more war going on.' I used that on numerous occasions. I used trade and whatever I had to use..."

India’s Official Response

New Delhi, however, has firmly rejected Trump’s account. The Indian government clarified that the ceasefire during Operation Sindoor was agreed upon after the Indian DGMO received a call from his Pakistani counterpart requesting a halt to hostilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated in Parliament that no foreign leader asked India to stop its military operations against Pakistan.