Trump Honors Fallen U.S. Troops at Arlington, Says Iran Will Never Have a Nuclear Weapon

President Donald Trump honored fallen U.S. service members during Memorial Day remarks Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and he recognized the 13 U.S. troops killed during Operation Epic Fury in the war with Iran.

Trump said, “This Memorial Day we salute them and thank them for all that we have and all that they gave,” and he added, “They gave everything.”

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Trump also reiterated his administration’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program at the cemetery’s amphitheater, saying, “They will never have a nuclear weapon.”

The Associated Press reported Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before speaking, and it quoted him linking Memorial Day to independence by saying, “there could be no Independence Day without Memorial Day.”

Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Dan Caine, who all took turns speaking about the holiday during the Arlington observance.

Gen. Dan Caine told the audience, “To the Gold Star families here today, we know that Memorial Day is every single day,” and he also honored those killed since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

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The Center Square reported that Trump and Vance spoke at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Monday to recognize the families of service members who died in wars throughout American history.

The Center Square further said that “In total, 13 service members have died since Feb. 28, when the conflict began,” and it described additional deaths tied to an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1 and an Iranian drone strike at a military base in Saudi Arabia on March 7.

USA Today reported Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 25 and said the 13 service members died to ensure Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”

The remarks came as Trump’s administration tied Memorial Day messaging to its Iran policy, with NewsNation saying Trump reiterated his stance at Arlington and that his comments followed a Truth Social post Saturday announcing a peace deal had been “largely negotiated” with Iran.

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USA Today said the annual holiday came as the Iran war neared the three-month mark and Trump touted progress on turning a six-week ceasefire into a permanent peace deal, while also noting the war has cost the United States at least $29 billion.

USA Today also reported Trump is pushing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil is shipped, and it quoted him saying, “They will never have a nuclear weapon.”

The Center Square added that the administration’s insistence that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon has been a continued hang-up in negotiations to end fighting between the two countries and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it said a top Iranian official said Monday a deal is not imminent.

In France 24’s centennial Memorial Day coverage, General Carsten Jacobson of the German Army said, “Military cemeteries not only remind us of the suffering and misfortune of the past; they urge us, the living, gathered before these graves, to do everything possible to prevent further violence and wars.”