Trump Ties 9/11 to Iran War at Pentagon Ceremony — SkimNews
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- Trump spoke at the Pentagon on September 11 — skipping the main New York commemorations where 2,977 victims were killed — and tied George W. Bush's post-9/11 fight against Al-Qaeda to the current US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its seventh month.
- Trump said the military is working to ensure 'the world's number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon,' and declared 'there can only be victory' in the fight.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed US forces have 'laid waste to the world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism' over the past six months, calling Iran 'an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century.'
- The Iran war has reached a stalemate, with Iran maintaining its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and keeping oil prices high despite sporadic exchanges of fire with the US.
- Trump used the ceremony to attack domestic 'fanatics' in a swipe at Democrats, a day after a Republican midterm convention where he and VP JD Vance accused Democrats of sympathizing with the 9/11 attackers; Republicans zeroed in on Democratic senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed over his past social media posts about 9/11.
- The Pentagon ceremony honored the 184 people killed when one hijacked jet struck the building, with a single bell tolling as their names were read aloud; First Lady Melania Trump accompanied the president.
Why it matters: Trump and Hegseth invoked 'victory' and having 'laid waste' to Iran at a solemn 9/11 ceremony, yet the article itself states the war is in a stalemate with Iran still controlling the Strait of Hormuz and oil prices elevated — the rhetorical maximalism runs directly against the described military reality, and the domestic political targeting at a memorial service blurs the line between commemoration and campaign messaging ahead of midterms.
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