Former President Trump Honors Fallen Iranian Soldiers in Memorial Day Address

On Monday, President Donald Trump observed Memorial Day with a solemn visit to Arlington National Cemetery, honoring the 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives in the conflict with Iran.

This year’s Memorial Day marks the first since President Trump initiated military actions in both Venezuela and Iran, following a significant escalation last June with the bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.

In a statement on Saturday, Trump revealed that the United States is nearing an agreement with Iran, which could potentially bring an end to the ongoing war.

The conflict in Iran began in late February with coordinated strikes by the U.S. and Israel. At the outset, President Trump had assured the public that the military operation would be brief, lasting only a few weeks.

“In two recent wars, we have lost a total of 13 service members,” President Trump remarked to those gathered at the ceremony.

‘In Venezuela, which was a complete and total victory. We’re working very closely with the Venezuelan government right now. We took that over in one day. Lost no one,’ the President said.

‘In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls,’ he noted. ‘These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon.’

‘Oh, and they won’t,’ Trump added. ‘I assure you.’    

President Donald Trump paid tribute to the 13 servicemembers who have been killed during Operation Epic Fury as he marked Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday 

President Donald Trump participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to mark Memorial Day 

The family of one of the war dead,  Major Ariana Savino, was in the crowd.

Trump called her death a ‘selfless gift’ that will ‘not be in vain.’ 

‘Our debt to you is everlasting, and it’s always going to end in victory,’ Trump pledged. 

‘We’re having victories all over the place, more than we’ve had in many, many decades,’ the President added. 

Trump also linked Memorial Day, a somber occasion, to the upcoming July 4 holiday. 

‘Less than six weeks from now, our nation will reach a historic milestone, 250 years of majestic independence,’ Trump said. 

‘Before we hail the founding, we honor the fallen. Before we celebrate the triumph, we pay the tribute,’ he said. 

Trump was introduced by both Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance. 

Cabinet members, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (third from right), attend Memorial Day services at Arlington National Cemetery. Also attending (from left) Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and FBI Director Kash Patel

President Donald Trump (left) gives a fist bump alongside Vice President JD Vance (right) during Monday’s Memorial Day programming at Arlington National Cemetery 

It likely marked one of Trump’s final official appearances alongside departing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who informed the President on Friday that she would leave the job at the end of June.  

Gabbard said she was exiting the administration due to her husband’s cancer diagnosis. 

A former Democratic congresswoman who backed progressive Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 race, Gabbard was welcomed into Trump’s MAGA fold during the 2024 race. 

She helped the President build a bipartisan coalition that also included former Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, now Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary.  

Gabbard’s a US Army reservist who served in the Iraq war. 

She stood alongside other Cabinet members, including Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and FBI Director Kash Patel. 

Trump first participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery alongside Vance and Hegseth, before delivering remarks.

En route to Arlington, Trump’s motorcade passed the site where the President wants to build his triumphal arch, to mark the country’s 250th birthday. 

Protesters set up a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s proposed arch, which he passed by in his motorcade en route to Arlington National Cemetery Monday 

On Monday, a group of anti-arch protesters had gathered at the site, heckling the President as he drove by with large signs that read ‘arch insanity’ and one that labeled Trump a ‘rapist.’ 

A group of Vietnam War veterans is suing the administration over the ‘Arc de Trump,’ arguing it blocks the view of Arlington National Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial. 

The project could also be derailed by a Federal Aviation Administration review that will determine whether the arch poses a flight hazard.