The United States says it played a decisive role in calming recent tensions between Pakistan and India, a move Washington officials describe as a textbook case of high-stakes diplomacy.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce recalled the urgency in Washington when hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors began escalating.

“It was a situation that could have turned into something quite terrible,” Bruce said. “From the president and vice president to the secretary of state, our leadership acted immediately to engage both sides.”

She said senior U.S. officials worked the phones, urging restraint and opening channels for dialogue until a lasting truce was in place. “It’s one of those moments where diplomacy truly prevented catastrophe,” she added, calling it a proud achievement for the administration.

Bruce emphasized that Washington maintains solid ties with both Islamabad and New Delhi, crediting U.S. leaders’ personal relationships with foreign counterparts for making such mediation possible.

Counterterrorism Talks Highlight Ongoing Cooperation with Pakistan

Alongside efforts to reduce cross-border tensions, Washington is also deepening its security engagement with Pakistan.

Bruce pointed to the Pakistan–U.S. Counterterrorism Dialogue, which concluded its latest round in Islamabad earlier this week. The talks were led by Pakistan’s Special Secretary for the United Nations, Nabeel Munir, and U.S. Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory D. LoGerfo.

The meeting came just a day after Washington officially designated the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its militant wing, the Majeed Brigade, as foreign terrorist organizations, following a series of deadly attacks claimed by the group.

Both sides discussed strategies to tackle threats from the BLA, Daesh-Khorasan, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and explored ways to counter the use of new technologies by extremist groups.

The U.S. delegation praised Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and expressed condolences for recent attacks, including the Jaffar Express train ambush and the Khuzdar school bus bombing.

Officials from both countries agreed to strengthen institutional cooperation, improve response capabilities, and maintain close coordination to safeguard regional stability.