Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth used the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks to defend the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, linking the controversial conflict to the legacy of the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil.
At a memorial ceremony at the Pentagon on Thursday, Trump paid tribute to members of the US military who served in the “war on terror” before turning to the Iran conflict, which began more than six months ago and shows no immediate signs of ending, The Guardian reported.
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“We salute every member of the United States military who served in the ‘war on terror’,” Trump said, referring to the Pentagon attack that killed 64 people aboard the hijacked aircraft and 125 people inside the building.
He then praised US service members currently involved in the Iran campaign, saying they were working to ensure that “the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon”.
Trump, who remained in Washington for the anniversary ceremony, later made an explicit connection between the 9/11 attacks and his administration’s war against Iran.
“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget,” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win.”
TRUMP FACES CRITICISM OVER 9/11 PLANS
Trump’s decision to stay in Washington, rather than attend the main memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in New York, has drawn criticism. Vice-President JD Vance travelled to New York to attend the ceremony at the site of the former World Trade Center.
The Iran war, which has become politically contentious and faces opposition in the US, has continued for more than six months amid repeated military strikes and growing tensions across the region.
Hegseth also used the solemn Pentagon ceremony to make a forceful case for the ongoing military campaign.
Describing Iran as an “Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century”, Hegseth claimed that Iran’s defences “are gone”, despite evidence suggesting that Tehran retains military capabilities.
“We’re still sending terrorists where they belong – to hell,” Hegseth said. “And tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong, and we are ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. The economic pressure tightens every day.”
He framed the conflict as a continuation of the broader struggle against terrorism, saying the fight against “evil” had continued since 9/11 and would persist indefinitely.
“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.”
The defence secretary also warned of threats inside the US, saying enemies were seeking to weaken American power and kill US citizens, including “Islamic terrorists abroad and at home”.
Hegseth credited Trump with dismantling Iran’s military capabilities and ended his speech with a call for a new generation of “strong, brave warriors” willing to serve their country.
9/11 FAMILIES DEMAND ACTION ON SAUDI ARABIA
Meanwhile, at the New York memorial ceremony, Terry Strada, a widow of a 9/11 victim and a leader of a group representing victims’ families, urged the Trump administration to hold Saudi Arabia accountable over allegations concerning the attacks, The Guardian reported.
“It has been one betrayal after another. President Trump can still change that,” Strada said.
She called on the administration to pressure Saudi Arabia over what she described as continued denials of alleged links to the terrorists responsible for the attacks.
“Tell the Saudis to stop lying. Tell them that if they want to be friends with the USA, they cannot continue to deny all of this – all of the pain, all of the destruction that we have all been suffering through,” she said.
The remarks came as the 25th anniversary ceremonies, traditionally focused on remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, became a platform for the Trump administration to justify its ongoing confrontation with Iran.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
