Did Trump defend the Iran war and link it to 9/11 at the Pentagon memorial? Here’s what the president of the US said | Today’s news
People across the United States are paying tribute to the victims and affected families of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the 25th anniversary. But President Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth appeared to make remarks at a Pentagon memorial service in defense of the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran, which began more than six months ago with no sign of an end.
What did Donald Trump say about the 9/11 attacks?
“We pay tribute to every member of the United States military who has served in the ‘war on terror,'” Trump said at the Pentagon, as quoted by The Guardian.
The Pentagon was hit by a hijacked plane, killing 64 people on board and 125 in the building.
“And we pay tribute to the service members who are working right now to ensure that the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, never has a nuclear weapon,” Trump added, according to the report.
The US president’s decision to stay in Washington has drawn mixed reactions. On the other hand, Vice President JD Vance attended the Ground Zero memorial in New York, which is the destroyed site of the World Trade Center.
Trump’s controversial statement linking 9/11 and the Iran war
In his closing statement, Trump appeared to try to connect his war with Iran and the 9/11 attacks.
“Today we renew the sacred oath we first took on their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget,” he said, according to The Guardian. “That’s why we fight today. We have no choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win,” he reportedly added.
Hegseth on Iran, ‘Islamic terrorists abroad’
Speaking on that grim day, Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, said the Iran war was part of the fight against “an Islamic theocracy that has wished us dead for nearly half a century.” He also said that Iran’s defenses “are gone,” according to the same report.
“We’re still sending terrorists where they belong – to hell,” Hegseth mentioned, as quoted by The Guardian, adding: “And tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong, and we’re making sure Iran never has a nuclear weapon. The economic pressure is getting stronger every day.”
Hegseth also reportedly said, “The fight against evil has continued and continues now. It will continue until doomsday. Our only response here on Earth is eternal vigilance.”
He further claimed that the threat has spread to the borders as well. He warned that “enemies plan to limit our power and kill our citizens, including Islamic terrorists abroad and at home.”
Hegseth praised Trump for dismantling Iran’s military capabilities. He concluded by calling for “strong, brave warriors who will say, when it matters most, ‘send me'”.
