At 25th Anniversary Tribute, Trump Links Iran War to 9/11

President Donald Trump commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at a Pentagon ceremony, honoring victims, survivors, and first responders. Though he did not attend Ground Zero, he addressed a wide array of those who perished in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

Trump assured future generations that the United States would remain a free and unyielding nation in the face of evil, emphasizing that the heroes of 9/11 would never be forgotten. He recounted the story of a family headed to California in the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, and applauded the family of fallen FDNY Capt. Timothy Stackpole for accepting applause from the crowd.

Despite the somber tone, Trump used the occasion to argue for his controversial war with Iran. He invoked the attacks to defend his decision, despite the fact that Iran had no known links to 9/11. Trump renewed the oath sworn in the victims' names, stating that they would never be forgotten, and that the United States would prevent Iran from ever possessing a nuclear weapon.

Joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, and former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Trump's administration outlined various goals for the conflict, including ending Iran's nuclear program, changing the Islamic regime, preventing regional strikes, and stopping support for terror proxy groups. However, none of these objectives have been accomplished thus far.