Keyword – US news
Trefwoorden – September 11 2001, New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, US news
Title – Remembrance ceremonies held across the US to honor victims of 9/11 | September 11 2001 | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/anna-betts,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/joseph-gedeon
Link – Remembrance ceremonies held across the US to honor victims of 9/11 | September 11 2001 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-11T16:16:37.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/11/september-11-commemorations
The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on Friday, with memorials and remembrance ceremonies taking place across the country to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed.
In New York City , the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s annual commemoration ceremony began early on Friday morning in lower Manhattan at the site often known as Ground Zero after the destruction of the World Trade Center there on 9/11.
Family members of victims gathered at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza as the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the earlier bombing of theWorld Trade Center in 1993 were read aloud.
The ceremony began with the first moment of silence at 8.46am, marking the moment when the first passenger plane hijacked by terrorists affiliated with al-Qaida struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. This year seven moments of silence were planned in total. These included the annual six marking the times when each of the twin towers was struck and then fell, as well as the times of the related attack on the Pentagon in Arlington county, Virginia, and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania on the same morning.
The seventh moment of silence, which was added to the ceremony this year, was to honor the thousands of people who have died from illnesses linked to 9/11 and its aftermath in the years since.
Current and former New York City leaders and other political figures attended the ceremony in New York on Friday morning, including the city’s mayor , Zohran Mamdani as well as former mayors Michael Bloomberg, Rudy Giuliani and Bill de Blasio.
Joe Biden and Jill Biden also attended, along with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama; George W Bush and Laura Bush; and Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
The US vice-president, JD Vance also attended the New York ceremony, as well as Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary.
Donald Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, attended the ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday morning, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed after being hijacked .
The president spoke at the Pentagon, focusing much of his remarks on the victims of the attack and framed the anniversary as a renewal of the country’s commitment to fight terrorism.
“We will never, ever forget” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory.”
He also used his remarks to justify his decision to go to war with Iran, and said that US troops were working “to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon”.
He also described a shared national identity forged 25 years ago, telling the crowd “we were all New Yorkers that day … but we were also all Americans. We were all family. We’re all patriots.”
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, also delivered a speech at the Pentagon ceremony, and used his remarks to link the 9/11 attacks directly to the US war with Iran , framing both as part of a continuing religious and civilizational struggle.
“The struggle against evil continued, and it continues now,” Hegseth said. “It will continue until judgment day. Our only answer here on Earth is eternal vigilance.”
He also warned that “enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home”.
He went on to credit Trump with dismantling Iran’s military capabilities, saying “the United States killed their leaders” and vowed that “we’re still sending terrorists where they belong, to hell, and tankers to the bottom of the ocean, where they belong.”
He added: “We are ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Hegseth closed by invoking scripture, telling the audience that “the world will always have war and rumors of war”, before calling for a new generation of “strong, brave warriors who will say, when it matters most, ‘send me’”.
Earlier on Friday morning, a large American flag was unfurled against the side of the Pentagon building, echoing one draped that way on the day of the attacks.
In Pennsylvania, a ceremony also took place at the Flight 93 national memorial , where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after being hijacked.The morning observance included a reading of the names of the passengers and crew members, followed by the ringing of the bells of remembrance. The afternoon ceremony will feature “remarks, keynote speakers, music and concludes with a public wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Names”, according to the National Park Service .
On Saturday, another ceremony is scheduled at the Flight 93 national memorial, where 40 candle lanterns will be carried to the Wall of Names and placed beneath the names of each passenger and crew member.
Additional ceremonies and memorial events occurred on Friday across the country as communities marked 25 years since the attacks.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday night, a drone show featuring 2,977 lights , one for each person killed in the attacks, illuminated the skies over New York Harbor, before forming the outline of the twin towers.
The memorial ceremonies on Friday come just days after the Mamdani administration released more than 170,000 documents related to the health concerns, air quality and the city’s response to the attacks, including records suggesting that New Yorkers were misled about the safety of the air quality after the attacks.