Trump Repeats Claim of Mediating India-Pakistan Conflict, Says 11 Jets Downed
United States President Donald Trump has reiterated his assertion that he played a key role in ending the military hostilities between India and Pakistan in May 2025, claiming that 11 aircraft were shot down during the four-day confrontation.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for resolving several conflicts, including the India-Pakistan standoff. He alleged that the situation could have escalated into a nuclear exchange.
“We settled it. It was going to be nuclear. And we got it settled,” Trump said. He further stated that 11 planes were shot down during the clashes, though he did not specify the countries to which these aircraft belonged or whether the figure represented combined losses.
India has consistently denied any third-party mediation in the conflict. The Indian government maintains that the cessation of hostilities resulted from direct communication between the two countries’ militaries, without United States involvement.
The hostilities followed India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on 7 May 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territories. The subsequent clashes lasted four days, ending with an understanding to halt military action on 10 May 2025.
According to Indian officials, at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including F-16 fighters, were destroyed or damaged during Operation Sindoor. Pakistan has not confirmed these losses.
Trump also claimed that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited him with saving 30 to 50 million lives. New Delhi has not commented on this assertion.
This is not the first time Trump has made such claims. He previously stated that 10 planes were shot down and that the conflict could have turned nuclear. India has consistently refuted these statements, emphasizing that it does not require external intervention for its security matters.
The Biden administration at the time also distanced itself from Trump’s claims, with then-Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin stating that the United States played a supportive but not decisive role.
