Donald Trump Uses 9/11 Tribute to Defend U.S. War Against Iran

9/11 speech and nuclear vow

U.S. President Donald Trump used the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks to defend the war the United States is waging against Iran, speaking at a tribute at the Pentagon where he said the Islamic Republic will not acquire nuclear weapons.

Trump told the ceremony, “We salute the members of the Armed Forces who are working right now to ensure that the world’s main sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran, never, ever, has a nuclear weapon,” and he added, “We will never, ever forget. That is why we fight today.”

The same reporting said the Pentagon tribute took place instead of attending the commemoration held at Ground Zero in Manhattan, where Vice President JD Vance, all living former U.S. presidents, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were present.

A separate account of the Pentagon event said Trump’s remarks included the line, “We will never forget. That is why we fight today,” while describing the United States as fighting “terrorism” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The coverage also tied the anniversary to the broader U.S. conflict with Iran, noting the war has been underway for more than six months without achieving the stated objective of overthrowing the ayatollahs’ regime.

Reporting for this sectionA24Antena 3 Noticias

War end after midterms

Donald Trump told reporters that the war between the United States and Iran will “end immediately” after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, arguing Tehran is “desperate to try and affect the election.”

Trump said, “I think the war will end immediately after the election because they can't hold out any longer,” and he added that Washington is not looking to return to nuclear talks, saying, “We're not looking for it.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected claims that Iran is receiving outside assistance that is altering the dynamics of the conflict, telling reporters, “We don't believe anybody's giving Iran anything that's changing the dynamics or the parameters of what we're seeing,” and he said Iran would continue to pay a price for attacks on U.S. naval vessels.

Rubio said the United States has “taken out about nine of their tankers,” and he described the latest losses as “They lost five more last night. Four were damaged. One was sunk.”

In parallel, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said sanctions on a large bank that does business with Iran would begin on Monday, warning, “We will make it so costly that if you want to risk something that could ruin your company, you or your personal money, do as you wish.”

Reporting for this sectionAnadolu AjansıBBC

Sanctions, shipping, and escalation

The BBC reported that the Trump administration would impose sanctions on a large bank next week as part of continuing to pressure Tehran to end the more-than-six-month-old conflict, with Bessent saying, “We will continue this process until everyone stops dealing with this regime.” The same BBC account described rising tensions in maritime corridors, saying Iran attacked twenty ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and that the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported four unidentified projectiles struck two ships about four nautical miles west of Khasab, Oman. It also said the Revolutionary Guards announced an expansion of the “no-go zone” beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and it quoted an IRGC spokesman, Hussein Moughb, saying, “If a ship enters that area” before the excerpt cut off.

In a different framing, Middle East Eye described a “de facto US siege of its ports” and said Iran’s rial traded at around 2.2 million rials to the dollar compared with roughly 1.8 million before the siege began, while also warning that gasoline supply difficulties were growing. Middle East Eye also reported that a conservative political activist argued Iran has “a right to answer disproportionately,” saying, “By raising the costs, such as an attack on US allies’ oil and water infrastructure, we can break the siege.”

Reporting for this sectionBBCMiddle East Eye