President Donald Trump used a recent NATO summit press conference to assert that U.S. military strikes significantly damaged Iran’s nuclear capabilities, even as a preliminary intelligence report suggested a more moderate impact.
Trump described the operation as “very, very successful,” insisting it represented “obliteration,” claiming that no other military force could have achieved such results.
The press conference highlighted tensions as the global community awaited the stability of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Drawing historical parallels, Trump compared the bombings to the nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II, stating, “It was so bad that they ended the war. It ended the war.”
He elaborated, associating the devastating impact of the bombings with their military effectiveness: “Somebody said, in a certain way, that it was so devastating, actually, if you look at Hiroshima, if you look at Nagasaki, you know, that ended a war, too. This ended a war in a different way, but it was so devastating.”
Trump arrived at the NATO summit following the announcement of the ceasefire, which came on the heels of U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting critical Iranian nuclear facilities. A classified U.S. assessment stated that the airstrikes set back Tehran’s nuclear program by “a few months.”
Despite acknowledging the preliminary report, Trump insisted it was only an initial glimpse of the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear program.
He specifically criticized media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, for their coverage of the intelligence assessment, claiming they misrepresented the effectiveness of U.S. actions.
In defense of the strikes, Trump referenced a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, which contended that the military operations had considerably hindered Iran’s nuclear weapons development for years to come.
Joining Trump in criticizing the media, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth condemned the portrayal of the intelligence report as “spin” aimed at undermining the president’s image. Hegseth asserted, “They want to spin it to try to make him look bad based on a leak,” dismissing the report as insufficient.
He emphasized, “If you want to make an assessment of what happened, you better get a big shovel and go really deep, because Iran’s nuclear program is obliterated.” Hegseth’s comments were part of a broader defense of U.S. military action amid contrasting reports.
On a different note, Trump shared that his perceptions of NATO shifted during the summit. The allied countries reached a consensus to increase defense spending from 2% to 5% of their GDP by the year 2035. Trump has consistently argued for higher contributions from NATO allies, asserting that the U.S. shoulders an unfair share of the burden with its own contribution being approximately 3.5% of GDP.
Prior to the summit, Trump stated the new spending target would not apply to the U.S., reinforcing his long-held stance that Europe should take more responsibility for its defense. He expressed mixed feelings about Article 5, NATO’s mutual defense clause, heightening concerns among European partners regarding U.S. support in potential conflicts.
During the press conference, however, Trump suggested a notable change in his outlook after attending the summit. He remarked, “I came here because it was something I’m supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit different.”
He added, “I left here saying that these people really love their countries. It’s not a rip-off, and we’re here to help them protect their country.”
Before addressing the press, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Although they did not discuss a ceasefire concerning the ongoing conflict with Russia, Trump expressed a desire to understand Zelenskyy’s situation better, noting, “I just, I wanted to know how he’s doing. He was very nice, actually.”
Trump indicated that Zelenskyy seemed eager for the war to come to an end and expressed his intention to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin to explore a resolution. He did acknowledge, however, that he had yet to successfully mediate peace, attributing some difficulty to Putin’s resistance.
image source from：npr
