President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered remarks at a Pentagon ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, using the occasion to discuss the military operations against Iran that began more than six months prior. Trump stated that the nation salutes service members “working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon.” He characterized the ongoing conflict as a continuation of commitments made following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Hegseth delivered remarks describing Iran as an “Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century” and claimed that Iranian defensive capabilities “are gone,” though such assessments have been disputed by other observers. The defense secretary credited the Trump administration with dismantling Iran’s military capabilities and called for citizens to support future military operations. He also referenced broader security concerns, stating that “enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home.”
The decision to feature the Iran conflict at the 9/11 memorial drew attention as such ceremonies typically focus primarily on remembering victims of the 2001 attacks. Trump remained in Washington for the Pentagon event while Vice President JD Vance attended a separate memorial service at Ground Zero in New York City.
During the New York ceremony, Terry Strada, representing a group of 9/11 victims’ families, called on the administration to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for alleged support provided to the terrorists responsible for the attacks. Strada appealed to Trump to pressure Saudi Arabia to acknowledge what she characterized as years of denial regarding the kingdom’s involvement.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI