Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that his administration helped de-escalate a potential war between Pakistan and India by using trade leverage and tariff threats as diplomatic tools. Speaking from his Oval Office after a dinner event, Trump said that his tough stance on trade was instrumental in preventing what he described as a near “nuclear confrontation.”

Recalling the tense period of heightened military activity between the two South Asian neighbors, Trump said, “We stopped a lot of these wars using trade. India and Pakistan were going at it really hard. Seven planes were shot down. It was going to happen. Bad things were happening.”

Trump explained that he directly communicated with both sides and used the threat of economic restrictions to pressure them into standing down. “I said, ‘We’re not going to do a trade deal unless you stop this war.’ And I told them, ‘We’re going to put a 200 percent tariff on your country for any product you’re selling to the United States unless you stop.’”

According to Trump, the threat worked. “Both nations called me back saying, ‘No, no, you can’t do that.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I can.’ We’re not going to lose millions of people. This could have been a nuclear war — probably would have been,” he said.

The former president emphasized that economic power can serve as a deterrent to military conflict. “Trade is powerful. Tariffs make our country strong, and I’ve used them to stop wars. I love stopping wars,” Trump added.

Reflecting on the outcome, he said both nations agreed to de-escalate after his intervention. “I like both leaders, and they eventually decided to step back. That was the right thing to do,” he noted.

Trump also revealed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India would not buy oil from Russia, following U.S. concerns over Moscow’s energy exports. “He told me they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same,” Trump said.

The Indian embassy in Washington has not yet responded to queries about whether such a commitment was officially made. Trump’s remarks once again highlight his belief in using economic influence as a means of maintaining peace and asserting U.S. global power.