"He doesn’t grasp the reality": Hiroshima mayor criticizes Trump for comparing Iran strike to atomic bombings

TOKYO, July 2 — Hiroshima’s mayor has urged Donald Trump to visit the city and witness firsthand the devastating impact of nuclear weapons, after the former US president compared recent airstrikes on Iran to the atomic bombings of 1945.

“I don’t believe he fully understands the reality of atomic bombings, which indiscriminately claim the lives of countless innocent people—friend and foe alike—and threaten the very survival of humanity,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui told reporters.

“I hope President Trump will visit the bombed areas, experience the reality of what happened in Hiroshima, and understand the city’s spirit before making such statements,” he added.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. Japan surrendered shortly afterward, bringing World War II to an end. The bombings killed approximately 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki, many from radiation-related illnesses. These remain the only instances of nuclear weapons being used in war.

On June 22, amid escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the US conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. A ceasefire was reached shortly after, ending 12 days of fighting.

Speaking at a NATO summit in The Hague last Wednesday, Trump said, “I don’t want to use the example of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, but it was essentially the same thing. That ended that war, and this ended [this war].”

His remarks sparked outrage from atomic bomb survivors and led to a small protest in Hiroshima. Last week, the Hiroshima city assembly passed a resolution condemning comments that appear to justify the use of nuclear weapons.

Nihon Hidankyo, Japan’s national atomic bomb survivors’ group, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year and has long advocated for the global elimination of nuclear arms. — AFP