The annual holiday honoring slain military personnel comes as the Iran war nears its third month and President Trump touts progress on a peace deal.
Trump administration officials attend Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony
Trump administration officials attended a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
President Donald Trump commemorated the 13 U.S. military personnel killed during the Iran war at Arlington National Cemetery as part of traditional Memorial Day observances, saying they died to ensure Iran “never had a nuclear weapon.”
“We lost 13 great souls, great, special people,” President Trump said on May 25 after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at a military cemetery in Virginia outside Washington, D.C.
The annual holiday honoring slain U.S. service members comes as the Iran war approaches three months and President Trump touts progress in turning a six-week ceasefire into a permanent peace deal.
In addition to 13 deaths, the war cost the United States at least $29 billion, severely disrupted global energy supplies, disrupted the economy, and boosted gasoline prices and overall inflation. Polls show that most Americans oppose the war.
President Trump said it was worth the sacrifice to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. On Monday, he emphasized his determination to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed.
“They will never have nuclear weapons,” the president told the crowd, which included veterans and families of fallen soldiers in the Iran war, at the ceremony.
The nuclear issue has been taken up in negotiations to end the war that began on February 28th. President Trump is also pushing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
As negotiations progress and tensions rise, President Trump presses for Iran war agreement
President Donald Trump has signaled progress in Iran war negotiations, while warning of a recurrence of conflict and urging regional countries to join the Abraham Accords.
President Trump suggested on Saturday, May 23, that a peace deal was imminent, but later said he had told negotiators not to rush.
On May 25, President Trump said on social media: “Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are progressing well! Either it’s a great deal for everyone, or it’s no deal at all.”
At Arlington National Cemetery, President Trump was joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine.
