President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday used remarks commemorating the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 to draw a parallel between the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans and the ongoing U.S. war with Iran.

Speaking at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed, Hegseth said that the United States still faces enemies seeking to inflict harm on Americans, and portrayed the Iran war as part of the continued U.S. fight against terrorism.

“The struggle against evil continued and it continues now,” Hegseth said. “There are still enemies who hate us. Every day enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home.”

During the commemoration, Hegseth touted the damage inflicted on Iran during the last six months of fighting, saying the U.S. has killed Iranian leaders, destroyed the country’s air force and eliminated its defenses.

“We are ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said. “The economic pressure tightens every day. We control the Strait [of Hormuz]. We will finish this fight.”

The remarks injected the Trump administration’s current military campaign into an event centered on remembering the victims of the country’s deadliest terrorist attack.

Trump stayed largely on message during the speech, focusing it on the victims of the attacks and the national unity that followed. But he also used the ceremony to recognize U.S. troops currently overseas.

“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

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