(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump asserted Friday that he personally prevented a fresh outbreak of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia—an escalation he said would have shattered a delicate peace he believes he helped establish.

"I stopped a war in Thailand, in Cambodia," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after initially hesitating to identify the conflict he was referring to. "That war would have been very costly in terms of lives, but even costly in terms of us."

According to reports, Trump said he warned both Southeast Asian nations that he would impose tariffs, repeating his long-held argument that without tariff authority, the US would be left without leverage. He again insisted that “other countries would use tariffs on us, and we would have no fair means of fighting back.”

His comments come as the Supreme Court reviews a case that challenges his ability to levy tariffs unilaterally—an issue he has strongly defended.

The region has seen heightened tension in recent days. On Wednesday, a cross-border exchange between Thai and Cambodian forces left one civilian dead and three others wounded, with each side accusing the other of triggering the confrontation shortly after Thailand paused a peace agreement.

Following the incident, Cambodia evacuated several hundred people from Prey Chan village, according to local officials cited in regional coverage.

The Royal Thai Army rejected claims that its soldiers carried out “unprovoked shooting,” asserting instead that Cambodian troops "fired weapons into Thai territory."

Thai forces, the army said on the US platform Facebook, "took cover and returned fire toward the source using only necessary force in accordance with rules of engagement to suppress the incident, protect national sovereignty, and ensure personnel safety."

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