Trump Claims He Prevented India-Pakistan Nuclear Conflict, India Denies US Mediation

In his 2026 State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump claimed he prevented a nuclear war between India and Pakistan during the May 2025 military standoff following the Pahalgam terror attack. He asserted that Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told him 35 million people would have died without his intervention and that he saved Sharif's life. Trump cited trade leverage as a tool to de-escalate tensions. India has consistently denied any US mediation, stating the ceasefire resulted from direct military communication between the two countries.