Trump Compares Iran Strike to Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings
President Donald Trump has likened the recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, calling them decisive actions that brought the Iran-Israel conflict to a swift halt.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump described last weekend’s bombing campaign as a “wipeout strike” that eliminated key Iranian nuclear sites. He argued the offensive had the same effect as America’s use of atomic bombs in Japan in 1945.
“I don’t want to invoke Hiroshima, I don’t want to invoke Nagasaki—but it’s essentially the same idea. It ended a war,” Trump told reporters. “This strike ended the fighting between Israel and Iran. Had we not destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities, they’d still be at war right now.”
He dismissed leaked intelligence reports suggesting the strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months, calling those claims inaccurate. According to Trump, Israeli special forces entered Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility after the bombing and confirmed that the site had been “wiped off the map.”
“I believe it was totally destroyed,” he said. “And I also believe there was no opportunity for them to move anything out. We acted fast.”
However, Israeli officials told the country's public broadcaster Kan that they were unaware of any such special forces deployment into Fordow following the U.S. strike.
Despite the conflicting accounts, Trump, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has repeatedly insisted that Fordow was “neutralized.” At the summit, Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear program had been pushed back “by decades.”
Still, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged caution. He confirmed that initial damage assessments showed the three Iranian nuclear sites were “severely compromised,” but added that it would take more time to complete a full report.
Trump’s appearance at the NATO gathering came one day after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel—brokered by the U.S.—went into effect. On the same day, the president expressed frustration with both sides for violating the truce, stating he was “not happy,” particularly with Israel.
But at The Hague, Trump struck a different tone, saying he was “very proud” of Israel for showing restraint following Iran’s alleged ceasefire breach.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu should feel very proud of himself,” Trump said.
The president also claimed that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% had been hit during the strike, adding, “It’s not easy to move that kind of material elsewhere.”
“I think eventually we’re going to have some kind of relationship with Iran,” Trump said. “The last thing they want now is to continue enriching uranium.”
When asked whether the U.S. would strike Iran again if it attempted to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure, Trump replied: “Absolutely.”
(Sources: Times of Israel, CNN, AFP)
