‘That hit ended the war’: Trump compares US strikes on Iran to Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings

‘These strikes ended the war.’

US President Donald Trump claims US strikes have set Iran’s nuclear programme back ‘decades,’ comparing the operation to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying: ‘It ended the war.’ pic.twitter.com/Il8lMElrqi

— GB News (@GBNEWS) June 25, 2025

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Trump’s remarks came during a high-stakes NATO summit in the Netherlands, where leaders were already uneasy about his recent comments questioning America’s commitment to the alliance’s mutual defense clause, Article 5. Speaking to reporters on the way to the summit, Trump said that whether the US would honour Article 5 “depends on your definition.”

Trump’s comments came amid a fragile ceasefire agreement, for which the US President claimed credit, between Israel and Iran. While the ceasefire holds for now, the nature and scale of the US military action—and Trump’s comparison to World War II nuclear bombings in Japan—has stirred international reaction.

Trump at NATO summit

As the summit progressed, Trump pivoted to a long-standing demand: increased defense spending by NATO members. Sitting alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump doubled down on his expectations.

“I’ve been asking them to go up to 5 per cent for a number of years,” he said. “I think that’s going to be very big news.”

The proposal marks a sharp shift from the alliance’s current defense spending target of 2 per cent of GDP, and is likely to face pushback from several member nations.