WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Friday that he prevented renewed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia—violence he described would have derailed a fragile peace he helped broker.

"I stopped a war in Thailand, in Cambodia," Trump told reporters on Air Force One, after initially declining to specify which conflict he was referring to.

"That war would have been very costly in terms of lives, but even costly in terms of us."

Trump said he threatened both Southeast Asian nations with tariffs, repeating his long-held argument that tariff authority is essential for maintaining leverage in international disputes.

The remarks come as the US Supreme Court reviews a challenge to the president’s authority to impose tariffs globally.

Tensions flared earlier this week when one civilian was killed and three others were injured in a cross-border clash between Thailand and Cambodia.

The two sides have issued competing accounts of the incident, which took place just days after Thailand suspended a peace pact.

Cambodia evacuated hundreds of residents from Prey Chan village following the exchange of fire, provincial spokesman Norng Vuthy said Thursday, according to CamboJA News.

The Royal Thai Army denied initiating the confrontation, rejecting claims that Thai troops fired first. Instead, it accused Cambodian soldiers of shooting into Thai territory.

Thai forces “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,” the army said in a statement posted on Facebook. — Agencies