‘Head’s going to spin’: Trump reiterates tariff warning pressured fast decision between India, Pak; recollects pressuring PM Modi over nuclear fears

Donald Trump (left), PM Narendra Modi (Businesses)

US President Donald Trump has as soon as once more claimed that he personally intervened to cease a nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan throughout heightened tensions between the 2 neighbours, whereas Operation Sindoor was underway in response to the Pahalgam terror assault, earlier this yr.Talking throughout a cupboard assembly on the White Home on Wednesday, Trump mentioned he threatened India with steep tariffs and refused to proceed with a commerce deal except the battle was resolved.“I’m speaking to a really terrific man, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. I mentioned what is going on on with you and Pakistan… The hatred was large. This has been happening for a hell of a very long time, like, typically with completely different names for a whole lot of years,” Trump mentioned.Trump went on to say that he issued a warning throughout a name with PM Modi, “I mentioned, I do not need to make a commerce cope with you… You guys are going to finish up in a nuclear conflict… I mentioned, name me again tomorrow, however we’re not going to do any offers with you, or we will put tariffs on you which can be so excessive, your head’s going to spin.”Trump claimed that inside 5 hours of the dialog, either side had backed down. “It was completed. Now possibly it begins once more. I do not know. I do not assume so, however I am going to cease it if it does. We won’t let these items occur,” he mentioned.The US President additionally reiterated his declare that the battle had resulted within the downing of a number of navy plane. “That is not good, that is loads of jets. 150 million greenback planes had been shot down, loads of them – seven, possibly it might be larger, they by no means revealed the true numbers,” he mentioned, with out offering proof or citing official sources. Drawing a parallel with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump mentioned the India-Pakistan scenario had the potential to escalate into a worldwide disaster. “Similar to Russia and Ukraine had been going to drag the world into World Warfare, India and Pakistan had been going to finish in nuclear conflict,” he mentioned.Trump has made comparable claims previously, saying his intervention prevented an all-out conflict between the 2 South Asian rivals. Nonetheless, India has repeatedly denied any third-party involvement within the de-escalation. Defence minister Rajnath Singh had earlier mentioned that the ceasefire was a results of India’s personal strategic selections and that no exterior strain was an element. PM Modi himself final month in Parliament categorically refuted the claims of any third get together mediation, so produce other senior ministers together with exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar and residential minister Amit Shah.