The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Friday with a solemn ceremony in New York, while President Donald Trump attended a separate commemoration at the Pentagon. The anniversary was also marked by pointed criticism from relatives of those killed in the attacks.

Trump chose to commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon rather than attend the ceremony in New York, where hijacked aircraft destroyed the World Trade Center and where most of the 2,977 people killed on 9/11 died.

The president connected the US-led “war on terror” that followed the attacks, and the years of American military involvement in the Middle East, to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today,” Trump said.

“We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win.”

Vice President JD Vance joined all four of Trump’s living predecessors. Republican George W. Bush, who was president during the 9/11 attacks, and Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — at the Ground Zero commemoration in lower Manhattan.

A large crowd assembled for the annual remembrance, which began shortly after 8:40 a.m. local time and followed the sequence of events from September 11, 2001, minute by minute.

As in previous years, relatives and others read aloud the names of those who died, while bells marked key moments during the attacks.

The Ground Zero ceremony traditionally remains largely nonpolitical and does not feature speeches.

However, several family members who participated in reading the names used the occasion to criticize Saudi Arabia and past US administrations for their relationships with the kingdom.

‘We have no justice’

Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the World Trade Center, strongly criticized Saudi Arabia, accusing the country of involvement in the attacks and directing criticism at former presidents attending the ceremony.

“You are missed more with each year that passes, but how can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?” she said in remarks broadcast live worldwide.

The September 11 attacks were carried out by 19 hijackers, most of whom were Saudi nationals, under the direction of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was himself a Saudi national.

“For 25 years, administration after administration including leaders in front of us here today chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with a 9/11 family,” Strada said, calling for action from the absent Trump.

Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Ground Zero ceremony despite an effort urging him not to participate.

The campaign was backed by the New York Post and former mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump ally who was mayor when the attacks occurred and who also attended Friday’s commemoration.

A petition that has collected more than 100,000 signatures accused Mamdani of associating with unspecified people who are “dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies.”

Mamdani recently received recognition for releasing thousands of documents concerning what New York City officials knew about air pollution and toxic exposure in Lower Manhattan following the attacks.

The collapse of the World Trade Center produced an enormous dust cloud, followed by months of pollution and lingering contamination. Thousands of New Yorkers have since developed cancers and other illnesses associated with the exposure.

‘It’s up to us’

The September 11 attacks began when 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airplanes on a clear September morning in 2001.

Two aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, eventually causing both skyscrapers to collapse.

A third plane struck the Pentagon. The fourth aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to regain control. Investigators believe it was headed toward either the US Capitol or the White House.

An estimated 100 million Americans have been born since the attacks or were too young at the time to retain memories of that day.

Retired New York firefighter John Fila recalled that his firehouse lost 15 firefighters in the attacks.

“In our firehouse there’s the picture of the 15 that we lost. (New firefighters) see that but it’s up to us… to explain those firefighters’ lives and what they were doing that day,” he said.

Al-Qaeda also marked the anniversary by releasing a video featuring images of Osama bin Laden and his son Hamza. Trump said in 2019 that Hamza bin Laden had also been killed.