Donald Trump used his Trump 9/11 memorial speech defending Iran war to draw a direct connection between the September 11 attacks and his administration’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, as America marked the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Speaking at the Pentagon ceremony on Friday, Trump honored the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001, before turning his remarks towards the current conflict and his administration’s efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“On days like 9/11, we learn what a country is truly made of. We’re learning right now what we’re made of,” Trump told those gathered at the Pentagon.
He then delivered a forceful defence of his administration’s military campaign.
“We’re still sending terrorists where they belong – to hell. And tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong, and we are ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
“The economic pressure tightens every day. We control the strait. We will finish this fight.”
Trump links 9/11 remembrance to Iran conflict
Trump’s decision to use a solemn anniversary ceremony to defend the Iran war gave the speech a distinctly political and military tone.
The Pentagon event was intended to commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks, with the names of the 184 people killed in the attack on the Department of Defense read aloud during the ceremony.
Trump attended alongside first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The president’s remarks nevertheless moved beyond remembrance, presenting the current conflict with Iran as part of a continuing struggle against terrorism and threats to American security.
His comments came as the United States remains engaged in military conflict with Iran, with the administration insisting that Tehran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Trump says US will ‘finish this fight’
The president’s declaration that “we will finish this fight” represented one of the strongest statements of determination from his administration during the conflict.
Trump also referred to the United States controlling the strategic strait, while warning that economic pressure on Iran was intensifying.
His remarks echoed the broader message delivered at the Pentagon by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also connected the September 11 attacks with the administration’s confrontation with Iran.
“The struggle against evil continued, and it continues now. It will continue until Judgment Day,” Hegseth said.
“Our only answer here on Earth is eternal vigilance.”
Hegseth also warned that threats to the United States could come from abroad and from within its borders.
“Enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home,” he said.
Pentagon ceremony honours 9/11 victims
The Pentagon was one of three locations directly targeted during the September 11 attacks.
At 9.37am on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people aboard the aircraft and 125 people inside the building.
Twenty-five years later, the names of the 184 victims were read aloud during Friday’s ceremony.
The commemoration formed part of nationwide events marking the 9/11 25th anniversary Pentagon ceremony and remembering those killed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine emphasised the courage displayed by victims, survivors, first responders and those who continued serving the country after the attacks.
“Today is not just a story of loss; it is also a story of great American courage, selfless service, and those who’ve made the choice to carry those memories forward,” Caine said.
“The courage of those extraordinary Americans in Pennsylvania, in New York, and right here on these hallowed grounds did not end when the smoke cleared and the fires went out.”
JD Vance joins former presidents at Ground Zero
While Trump remained in Washington for the Pentagon commemoration, Vice-President JD Vance attended the memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in New York.
All living former US presidents – Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton – also attended the New York ceremony.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former mayor Rudy Giuliani were also present.
The gathering marked a rare moment when political figures from different generations and parties came together at the site of one of the defining tragedies in modern American history.
Families of those killed in the attacks gathered at the memorial, where relatives read the names of their loved ones.
A moment of silence was also observed during the ceremony.
9/11 families demand accountability from Saudi Arabia
The 25th anniversary commemorations also renewed calls from some victims’ families for accountability over allegations concerning Saudi Arabia.
Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, said it had taken an extraordinarily long time for families to pursue what they consider justice through the US court system.
She said the effort to achieve accountability had felt as though it had “been several lifetimes”.
A long-running civil lawsuit brought by 9/11 families alleges that Saudi Arabia supported al-Qaida operatives involved in the attacks.
Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations and maintained that it has helped the United States combat al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and terrorism.
The issue has remained a major concern for some families as the country commemorates the 25th anniversary.
Calls for Trump to release 9/11 files
At the New York memorial, a nephew of Lisa Marie Terry, who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks, used the occasion to demand greater transparency.
He claimed that “the deep state has hidden the truth about what happened” and urged Trump to release documents concerning Saudi Arabia.
He called on the president to “release the unredacted files that implicate Saudi Arabia while what’s left of the victims families are still alive to see it”.
The claims reflect the continuing divisions and unresolved questions surrounding aspects of the September 11 attacks, even 25 years after the tragedy.
A solemn anniversary overshadowed by today’s conflicts
The 25th anniversary of September 11 has brought together remembrance, grief and renewed reflection on how the attacks transformed US foreign and domestic policy.
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But Trump’s Trump 9/11 memorial speech defending Iran war has also highlighted how the legacy of 9/11 continues to shape the language used by American leaders when discussing terrorism, national security and military action.
Trump’s invocation of the attacks in defending his Iran policy suggests that the administration views the conflict through the broader lens of preventing threats to American security.
His pledge that the United States will “finish this fight” also signals that Washington is not presenting its military campaign as a short-term operation.
Hegseth reinforced that message by invoking scripture and warning that conflict will remain a feature of the world.
“The world will always have war and rumors of war,” the defense secretary said.
He called for a new generation of “strong, brave warriors” who would be prepared to serve when needed.
For families gathered to remember those lost on September 11, however, the day remained primarily about the victims and the memories of the lives destroyed a quarter-century ago.
The anniversary therefore carried two contrasting messages: a nation remembering one of the darkest days in its history, and a president using that history to defend the military conflict confronting the United States today.
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