Claims of “seven beautiful planes shot down” resurface during Japan address.
Tariffs as a Peace Tool
US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that his administration prevented an India-Pakistan war by using trade tariffs as leverage. Speaking at a business event in Japan, Trump said his threats of halting trade convinced both nuclear-armed neighbors to step back from the brink of conflict.
“Seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down,” Trump remarked while referring to the standoff, without specifying which country suffered the losses.
He further stated that he personally spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan’s prime minister, and Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom he described as “a very good person.”
“No Trade If You Fight”
According to Trump, he told the leaders of both South Asian countries that trade with the United States would cease if hostilities continued.
“I said to Prime Minister Modi and the field marshal of Pakistan, very nice men, very good men, that we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting. Within 24 hours, the issue was resolved,” he said.
Trump added that because both nations possess nuclear weapons, a war between them could have “affected the entire world.”
Claims of Multiple Wars Averted
The former president went on to claim that his use of tariffs helped avert eight wars in eight months, including conflicts between Iran and Israel, Egypt and Ethiopia, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute.
“No one understands tariffs the way I do,” Trump declared. “With their help, we stopped wars all over the world. Without tariffs, our national security would not be what it is today.”
He cited the 30-year conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia as one example, saying it was resolved “only through talks” facilitated by his administration’s trade diplomacy.
Mention of Japan and New Appointments
During the same address, Trump invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to join him on stage, noting that markets had hit record highs following their meeting.
He also announced that Pete Hegseth had left his “multi-million dollar job” to become War Secretary, crediting him with stopping drug trafficking within the US.
A Pattern of Repeated Claims
This is not the first time Trump has made such statements during his Asia tour. Earlier, while speaking to US troops in Japan, he claimed India was preparing to fight Pakistan, but he intervened through economic pressure rather than military action.
“India wanted to fight Pakistan,” he said. “I told them, if you fight, we will not trade. We will impose massive tariffs on both countries. They said okay, we will not fight.” Trump has described these trade-based interventions as one of the “biggest diplomatic achievements” of his presidency, adding that past administrations started wars while his “ended them.”