By The South Asia Times

Seoul — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that his direct intervention and the threat of massive trade tariffs helped end an armed confrontation between India and Pakistan in May this year, describing it as an example of his “tough diplomacy” during a state dinner hosted in his honor by South Korean President Lee.

Speaking to guests , Trump recounted a recent flare-up between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, saying he was alarmed by reports that “seven planes were shot down” amid rising hostilities. “They’re going at it, and it’s a big thing,” Trump said, adding that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Pakistan’s leader were “strong people” who initially refused to back down.

According to Trump, he called Prime Minister Modi and told him that the United States could not move forward with a trade deal “while you’re starting a war with Pakistan.” He said Modi insisted on continuing discussions, but Trump replied, “No, we can’t. You’re starting a war.” He said he made a similar call to Islamabad, warning both countries that Washington would suspend trade and impose heavy tariffs if the conflict continued.

“They both said, ‘No, no, you should let us fight,’” Trump said, drawing laughter from the audience. “I told them, you have to stop shooting at each other — seven planes were shot down. You have to stop the war.”

Trump said he then warned both leaders that if they failed to stop fighting, the United States would impose 250% tariffs on their exports. “That means you’ll never do business,” he explained. “It’s a nice way of saying we don’t want to do business with you.”

According to Trump’s account, the strategy worked. “Within 48 hours, we had no war, no people killed. It makes me feel so good — we saved millions and millions of lives,” he said, crediting his personal diplomacy for defusing the crisis.

The U.S. president also offered personal remarks about the two South Asian leaders, describing Modi as “the nicest looking guy — looks like the father you’d like to have, but he’s tough as hell,” while referring to Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir as “a great guy, a field marshal — a great fighter.”

Trump contrasted his approach with that of President Joe Biden, saying, “You think Biden would have done that? I don’t think so. Most people wouldn’t have thought of it.”

The dinner, hosted by President Lee during Trump’s first official visit to South Korea since returning to office, was intended to celebrate growing U.S.-Korea cooperation on trade and regional security. But Trump’s colorful retelling of his self-described mediation between India and Pakistan dominated the evening, underscoring his trademark blend of boastful humor and transactional diplomacy.

While Trump’s comments could not be independently verified, they appeared to refer to recent cross-border skirmishes between India and Pakistan that raised fears of escalation earlier this year. Both New Delhi and Islamabad have yet to comment publicly on Trump’s remarks.