Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday honored the dead at the Pentagon from the 9/11 terrorist attacks during a ceremony to observe the 25th anniversary.

"At this very hour, a quarter-century ago, Islamic terrorists murdered 184 Americans right here at the Pentagon," Hegseth said.

He also paid homage to the dead on Flight 93, who fought back against the hijackers and crashed the plane, calling the incident the "first American counterattack of the war."

"It changed America not as the cowards had hoped," he said. "It inspired millions."

Hegseth went on to link the American response to 9/11 to the ongoing Iran war and portrayed it as a continuation of American efforts to combat Islamic terrorism.

"We honor the survivors, we honor the first responders who ran toward the flames," he also said.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.