'That's why we fight': Trump links 9/11 to Iran conflict

Washington: President Donald Trump declared on Friday that the United States would never forget the September 11, 2001 attacks and alluded to the ongoing "war on terror" 25 years later by targeting Iran. Speaking at the Pentagon following an absence from the primary 9/11 commemorations in New York, Republican Trump also criticized domestic fanatics, seemingly addressing Democrats.

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago," Trump asserted in his address. "We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today. We don't have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win." Accompanied by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, the commander-in-chief went on to draw parallels between the fight against Al-Qaeda, initiated by his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, now in its seventh month.

"Today we salute every member of the United States military who served in the War on Terror," Trump declared. "It is a war on sick, horrible terror. And 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." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump's stance, condemning Iran during his remarks at the Pentagon ceremony.

"Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism. Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century." The ongoing Iran conflict has reached a stalemate, with Iran maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and sustaining high oil prices despite sporadic clashes with the United States.

Trump also addressed domestic issues, following a Republican convention for the US midterm elections where he and Vice President JD Vance accused Democrats of sympathizing with the 9/11 attackers. "A generation after 9/11, we also know that the final response to those atrocities and the ultimate victory over the perpetrators will not be found on a foreign battlefield," Trump stated.

He recounted the story of a firefighter who lost his life in the attacks and whose son later became a US Navy veteran, emphasizing that American heroes are not extremists for an abstract cause. In a speech at the Republican convention the previous day, Trump used the same term: "With your vote in this election, you can tell these far-left lunatics and fanatics that America is not for sale to them or to anybody else."

During the convention, Republicans repeatedly criticized Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed over his previous social media posts about 9/11.