Trump claims 11 ‘very expensive’ jets were shot down in India-Pakistan clash

United States President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for defusing last year’s military confrontation between India and Pakistan — this time adding a dramatic new assertion that as many as 11 “very expensive” fighter jets were shot down during the hostilities.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the US-led Gaza Board of Peace in Washington, Trump said he warned both countries that he would impose sweeping trade penalties if they did not halt military action.

“I said, if you fight, I am going to put 200% tariffs on each of your countries,” Trump said. “They both wanted to fight. But when it came to money, it’s nothing like money. When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight.”

‘That war was raging’

The US President described the confrontation as having spiralled into dangerous territory, with aerial combat underway and multiple aircraft losses.

“That war was raging. Planes were being shot down. Eleven jets were shot down. Very expensive jets,” Trump said, without providing evidence to support the claim.

He added that he personally called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warning that trade deals with Washington would be off the table if hostilities continued.

“I knew Prime Minister Modi very well. I called them and said, listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this up. And all of a sudden, we worked out a deal,” Trump said.

Operation Sindoor and the trigger point

The confrontation followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan after the deadly Pahalgam attack in April last year that claimed 26 civilian lives.

Trump has repeatedly portrayed himself as the key figure in preventing a wider war, framing economic leverage and personal diplomacy as decisive tools in de-escalation.

He also claimed that Sharif publicly credited him with saving “25 million lives” by intervening at a critical moment when tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors were escalating.

“He said in front of our Chief of Staff that President Trump saved 25 million lives when he stopped the war between us and India,” Trump said.

India rejects mediation claim

New Delhi has consistently and categorically dismissed Trump’s assertions of third-party mediation. The Ministry of External Affairs has maintained that the cessation of hostilities was decided bilaterally at the level of the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries.

India has reiterated its long-standing position that issues with Pakistan are resolved directly between the two nations, without external involvement.

Trump’s latest remarks — particularly the claim of 11 fighter jets being shot down — introduce a fresh layer of controversy to an already disputed narrative, even as New Delhi continues to push back against any suggestion of foreign intervention.