By TheDailyNewsHub
US President Donald Trump has linked the legacy of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to the ongoing US war with Iran, declaring during a 25th-anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon that America must continue fighting to protect itself from terrorism and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Trump made the remarks on Friday, September 11, 2026, while commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Addressing the ceremony at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building, Trump said the United States would never forget those who died.
“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today,” Trump said.
The president added: “We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win.”
Trump then directly referred to US forces currently engaged in the conflict with Iran, saying: “We salute the 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.”
The remarks effectively presented the current confrontation with Iran as part of the broader US struggle against terrorism that followed the September 11 attacks.
Trump and his administration have repeatedly justified the war with Iran on the grounds of preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The conflict began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by Iranian retaliation against Israel and targets in the region, according to Reuters.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also used his Pentagon remarks to connect the current conflict to the post-9/11 “war on terror.” He accused Iran of supporting terrorism and said the country had “wished us death for nearly half a century” and sponsored attacks against Americans.
Hegseth described the military campaign as part of a continuing struggle against what he called an Iranian threat.
The Pentagon ceremony included the reading of the names of the 184 people killed when the hijacked aircraft struck the building. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the event, while Vice President JD Vance represented the administration at the main commemoration in New York.
Across the United States, families, survivors and officials marked the 25th anniversary with moments of silence and readings of victims’ names. A new moment of silence was also observed this year to remember people who have died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust following the attacks.
The New York ceremony was attended by Vance and former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Unlike the Pentagon event, the Ground Zero commemoration remained focused primarily on remembering the victims and their families.
Trump’s decision to use the Pentagon ceremony to connect the 9/11 attacks with the Iran war has drawn criticism from some observers who argue that the anniversary should remain focused on remembrance rather than contemporary political and military messaging. The Guardian reported that Trump and Hegseth used the event to defend the ongoing war, while some critics viewed the speeches as politicising the commemoration.
Trump, however, ended his remarks by returning to the theme of national resilience, saying the 25 years since the attacks had demonstrated the strength of the American people.
“September 11th reminded us of the terrible power of hate,” Trump said. “The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail, and to win.”
The 2026 anniversary comes at a particularly consequential moment for US foreign policy, as Washington remains directly involved in the Iran conflict while Trump continues to insist that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is essential to US national security.