New Delhi– Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a clear warning to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance during Operation Sindoor, stating that India would respond with “even greater force” if Pakistan launched a retaliatory strike, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed on Wednesday.
The warning came on the night of May 9, just two days after India carried out targeted airstrikes on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists.
According to Misri, Vice President Vance had reached out to PM Modi with concerns about a potential major Pakistani counterstrike. “Prime Minister Modi told him clearly that if this happens, India will respond with even greater force,” Misri said.
That night, between May 9 and 10, India executed a powerful counterattack that inflicted significant damage on Pakistan’s military, rendering several of their airbases inoperable, Misri added. Following the strikes, Pakistan formally approached India with a ceasefire request.
Misri shared these details while briefing on a 35-minute phone conversation between PM Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump, which took place shortly after a planned meeting between the two leaders at the G7 Summit was canceled due to Trump’s early departure.
“The phone call was held at President Trump’s request,” Misri noted. “Prime Minister Modi used the opportunity to explain India’s measured, precise, and non-escalatory military response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack.”
During the call, PM Modi reiterated that the ceasefire was agreed upon only after a direct request from Pakistan and that discussions took place strictly through existing military channels between the two countries. He made it clear that there was no mention of India-U.S. trade deals or any form of third-party mediation throughout the crisis.
“Prime Minister Modi stressed that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it,” Misri said. “There is complete political unanimity in India on this issue.”
President Trump reportedly acknowledged and respected India’s position and expressed his support for India’s efforts to combat terrorism. Modi further conveyed that India considers any act of terrorism emanating from Pakistan as an act of war, and that Operation Sindoor remains active and ongoing. (Source: IANS)
