WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump used a Pentagon ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks to defend his administration’s ongoing war with Iran, linking the current conflict to the military response launched after the 2001 attacks. Trump said the United States was honoring troops who served in the “war on terror,” including service members currently working to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He called Iran “the world’s number one sponsor of terror” and said the United States had no choice but to fight for victory. “Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago,” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an even more combative address at the Pentagon, describing the conflict with Iran as part of a decades-long struggle against what he called an “Islamic theocracy.” He said Iran’s defenses had been destroyed and vowed that the country would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. “We’re still sending terrorists where they belong — to hell,” Hegseth said, adding that U.S. forces were sending tankers “to the bottom of the ocean.” He also warned of threats from Islamic extremists abroad and inside the United States, language that cast the current war as part of a broad and continuing religious conflict. The speeches stood in sharp contrast to a message delivered at the World Trade Center memorial in New York by Michael Massaroli Jr., whose father worked at Cantor Fitzgerald and was killed in the attacks. Massaroli, the final reader of the victims’ names, asked people not to use the anniversary to promote hatred. He said the victims’ legacy was dishonored when people used September 11 to target Muslims or others who looked different from them. The attacks, he said, were a tragedy involving people of “all races, all religions, all creeds.” Memorial events were held across the country Friday. At the World Trade Center site, Vice President JD Vance and all living former presidents attended a ceremony. In Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial held a reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed when the hijacked plane crashed there. A later ceremony included music, speeches and a public wreath-laying. In New York’s Bryant Park, 2,753 empty chairs represented those killed in the attacks. Visitors placed carnations and personal notes on the chairs. The anniversary commemorated nearly 3,000 deaths in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. The ceremonies also became a forum for unresolved questions about accountability. Terry Strada, whose husband was killed in the attacks and who leads the group 9/11 Families United, urged the administration to support families pursuing a civil lawsuit alleging that Saudi Arabia aided al-Qaida operatives involved in the attacks. Saudi officials have denied the allegations and said the kingdom has helped the United States fight terrorism. Strada called on Trump to press Saudi Arabia to cooperate and urged Vance to stand with victims’ families and survivors. The lawsuit has continued for years as families seek information and legal accountability. In the House, lawmakers are also preparing to consider a Russia sanctions bill backed by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The Senate approved the measure 86-11 in August. It would impose additional sanctions on Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, and authorize tariffs as high as 500% on some Russian exports. It would also give Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major importers of Russian oil and gas. The bill faces opposition from some House Democrats and concern from lawmakers and businesses that the tariff powers could increase costs for consumers and create political risks before the November midterm elections.