In a bold and controversial statement, US President Donald Trump likened recent American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, insisting the attack had devastating consequences—even as US intelligence agencies remain unconvinced.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a summit in The Hague, Trump dismissed inconclusive assessments by the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and declared the strikes a historic success. “The intelligence says, ‘We don’t know, it could have been very severe.’ That’s what the intelligence says. So I guess that’s correct, but I think we can take the ‘we don’t know’—it was very severe. It was obliteration,” Trump asserted.

Nuclear strike impact debated

Despite reports from Reuters and other outlets suggesting that the Iran nuclear strike impact only delayed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months, Trump doubled down, comparing the destruction to the end of World War II. “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima... but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war. This ended the war,” he said.

According to Trump, the targeted Iranian facilities were completely destroyed. “There are 10 million tons of debris on top of it. The tunnels have collapsed completely. It’s gone for years — very tough to rebuild,” he added.

Trump claimed Iran’s leadership didn’t have enough time to evacuate nuclear materials before the strike. “If they try to rebuild, we know where it is now, and we’ll have options,” he warned.

A political win and foreign policy pivot

The Iran nuclear strike impact carries major political weight for Trump, whose core base has traditionally favored a non-interventionist stance. Critics questioned the move as inconsistent with his “America First” philosophy, but Trump defended the action by saying it prevented Iran from ever gaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump also claimed the strikes were instrumental in ending the Israel-Iran war and even helped pave the way for peace talks in Gaza. “I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” he told reporters. “Because of the attack that we made, I think we’re going to have some very good news. It showed a lot of power.”

Trump confidant Steve Witkoff echoed the sentiment, telling the president that the Gaza situation is “very close to being resolved.”

Rubio and Hegseth back Trump

Joining Trump at the summit were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Both officials pushed back against the DIA's findings, calling the report “low-confidence” and “preliminary.”

“There is a political motive here,” Hegseth stated, adding that the FBI is now investigating the leak of the intelligence report. Rubio claimed that those who leaked the document had misrepresented its conclusions. “Iran is now way behind where they were just seven days ago,” he asserted.

Despite the doubts, Trump remains unwavering. Asked whether the US would strike again if Iran resumed its nuclear enrichment program, he replied: “Sure.”