US called PM Modi to avert India-Pakistan escalation after receiving ‘alarming intelligence’

The United States, citing alarming intelligence, urged Prime Minister Modi to engage in direct talks with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions. 

NSA Ajit Doval meets PM Modi amid India-Pakistan tensions

Image Credit: ANI

New Delhi: The United States urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have dialogue with Pakistan following what it described as “alarming intelligence,” according to a report by CNN on Saturday, which cited senior officials from the Trump administration.

As per the report, it was US Vice President JD Vance who ultimately contacted Prime Minister Modi “at noon Eastern Time on Friday” to encourage direct talks with Pakistan aimed at exploring de-escalation options. Officials told CNN that Vance first presented the intelligence findings to President Donald Trump before reaching out to Modi, stressing that the US believed there was a “high probability of a dramatic escalation” if hostilities between India and Pakistan continued through the weekend.

Vance is also reported to have conveyed to Modi that the US had identified a “potential off-ramp” — a diplomatic pathway that it believed Pakistan might be open to considering — though CNN noted that the officials did not disclose specific details about this option.

The report added that three senior US administration members—Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—had been closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan. Their involvement intensified once the intelligence was received, prompting the US government to step up its efforts to halt “kinetic hostilities” between the two nations.

Due to its sensitive nature, the specific contents of the intelligence were not disclosed, but CNN quoted officials as saying it played a “critical” role in driving the Trump administration’s decision to intervene diplomatically.