'N word is a very nasty word...': Trump repeats claim of brokering Indo-Pak ceasefire, says nuclear threat was real

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that his intervention prevented a potential nuclear clash between India and Pakistan, insisting that his efforts to de-escalate the situation were a “bigger success” than he would ever be credited for.

In an interview with a news channel on Friday, Trump reportedly said, “A bigger success than I'll ever be given credit for. Those are major nuclear powers. Those are not like a little bit, and they were angry," as PTI reported.  The comment came in response to a question about foreign policy “successes” achieved during his presidency, specifically relating to tensions in South Asia.

'The next one's going to be... the N word'

Trump claimed that he personally made calls to both India and Pakistan as the situation escalated post-Operation Sindoor — a retaliatory Indian strike on terror infrastructure on May 7 following the Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Pakistan had responded with attempted attacks on Indian military bases over the next three days.

According to Trump, he stepped in to prevent further escalation. “Did you see where it was getting? It was tit for tat. It was getting deeper and more, I mean, more missiles, everyone was ‘stronger, stronger’, so to a point where the next one's going to be, you know what? The N word. You know the N word is, right?” he asked the interviewer, who responded: “nuclear”.

Also Read:Trump offers to mediate Kashmir solution after announcing India-Pakistan ceasefire 

“It's the N word. That’s a very nasty word, right? In a lot of ways. The N word used in a nuclear sense, that's the worst thing that can happen. And I think they were very close. The hatred was great,” Trump said, adding that he had tried to steer conversations toward trade instead.

India pushes back: No mediation, no trade threats

While Trump claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire on May 10 following his mediation, India has categorically rejected any third-party involvement in matters related to Kashmir.

 Eariler, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated India’s long-standing position: “That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.”

India also dismissed Trump’s claim that he had threatened to halt trade with both countries to broker peace. In the same interview, Trump had said, “I'm using trade to settle scores and to make peace. India… they're one of the highest tariff nations in the world, they make it almost impossible to do business. Do you know that they're willing to cut 100 per cent of their tariffs for the United States?”

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There has been no confirmation from Indian authorities on any such tariff concession.

When asked about the status of a trade deal with India, Trump said, “Yeah, that'll come soon. I'm in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us.” He also mentioned that “150 countries want to make deals” but it’s not feasible to meet everyone. This marks the seventh time in recent days that Trump has repeated the assertion that he helped “settle” tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.

(With inputs from agencies)