“We are concerned about any time when nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict. We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, as India has its gripes with Pakistan and Pakistan has responded to India,” he said.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate, but we are not going to get involved in the middle of a war that is fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” Vance added.He also said the only viable path forward was through diplomacy, as Washington lacked the means to force either country to halt hostilities.
India–Pakistan tensions continue to escalate
His comments come as military tensions flared across the India–Pakistan border on Thursday. Pakistan’s armed forces attempted to strike military sites in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and other key locations using missiles and drones. Indian forces responded swiftly, intercepting all incoming threats and launching retaliatory strikes later that night.
Sirens were heard in Akhnoor, Samba, Baramulla and Kupwara, where residents reported multiple blasts. Indian forces carried out overnight aerial surveillance and launched precision strikes in Islamabad, Lahore and Sialkot, downing a Pakistani F-16 jet in Rajasthan in the process.
India also struck radar and air defence systems across Pakistan, including in Lahore and Rawalpindi, where its destruction of an air defence installation reportedly dealt a serious blow to Pakistan’s military capabilities.
These developments followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, in which nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were targeted in retaliation for the April 22 killing of 26 people in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Toiba, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Trump urges restraint, offers to mediate
US President Donald Trump, responding to India’s retaliatory operation, described the situation as “terrible” and said he was willing to mediate. “My position is I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop and hopefully, they can stop now. They have gone tit for tat so hopefully they can stop now. I know them both, we get along with both countries very well,” Trump said.
Multiple global powers, including China, Japan and Russia, have also called for restraint as fears grow over the potential for a broader regional conflict.
Also Read: Educational institutions ordered shut in J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan & Himachal Pradesh amid India-Pak tensions
