ISTANBUL

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki expressed regrets Thursday for US President Donald Trump's likening American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites to the 1945 atomic bombing of Japan, Jiji Press reported.

"We deeply regret it if he tried to justify the dropping of the atomic bombs," said Suzuki, adding he did not understand the “exact intent" behind Trump’s remark.

Trump compared US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites to the WWII bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, claiming both instances brought a quick resolution.

"I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war," Trump said Wednesday during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in The Hague.

The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb hit Nagasaki on Aug. 9, killing an additional 70,000 victims. Japan surrendered days later, ending World War II.

Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran on June 13, including military and nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb -- a claim denied by Iran. The assault killed 606 victims and injured 5,332.

While Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, killing 28 people and wounding 3,238, the US joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

After 12 days of aerial combat between the two regional arch-foes, Trump announced a ceasefire late Monday, which appears to be holding.​​​​​​​