Trump now says 11 planes were shot down in the India-Pakistan conflict, and repeats that his tariff threat ended it

US President Donald Trump has again said he ended the 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, and this time he put the number of aircraft shot down at 11.

Speaking at a campaign rally at Florida Gulf Coast University's Alico Arena in Fort Myers on Friday, 23 October, Trump said he warned both countries that they would lose access to the US market if the fighting continued. "I'm going to put massive tariffs on both of you, 250 per cent, so you won't be able to do any business," he said, according to PTI. "Eleven planes were shot," he added, ANI reported.

A number that keeps changing

Trump has told this story many times, but the figure has not stayed the same. In earlier speeches he said seven planes were shot down, and later eight. He has not said whose planes they were, and the number has not been independently confirmed.

India rejects Trump's account. New Delhi says the halt in military action was agreed directly between India and Pakistan on 10 May 2025, after a request from Pakistan, and not because of US pressure.

"Did I get the Nobel Prize? No."

Trump told the crowd he had "settled eight wars" and complained that he had not been given the Nobel Peace Prize. He also said the United Nations gave him no help: "I'd never made one phone call to the United Nations."

Iran, Cuba and Hormuz

Trump hinted at more military action against Iran. "We may do another little Epic Fury," he said, without giving details, The Times of Israel reported.

He also revived the idea of acting against Cuba. US warships returning from the Iran war would "pass Cuba", he said, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would then be sent to "finish up the deal", the Associated Press reported.

On oil, Trump said more oil is now moving through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war began, and credited the US Navy's blockade of Iran, WINK News reported. Shipping trackers do show crude flows close to pre-war levels, but the Gulf's refined fuels, such as diesel, are still far below normal. That is why fuel and food prices remain high, as we explained here.

The rally came 11 days before the US midterm elections on 3 November.