Mixing history lesson, entertainment and solemn remembrance, the ceremony was a large-scale spectacle involving troops, dancers and martial bands, culminating in a military fly-past. But the stars of the show were the elderly veterans of that campaign who said they were surprised by all the attention: They were just doing their jobs.

"I was just a small part in a very big machine," said 99-year-old John Jenkins, a veteran from Portsmouth, who received a standing ovation as he addressed the event. "You never forget your comrades because we were all in it together," he said. "It is right that the courage and sacrifice of so many is being honored 75 years on. We must never forget."

Jenkins was among 300 WWII veterans, aged 91 to 101, who attended the ceremony in Portsmouth, the English port city from where many of the troops embarked for Normandy on June 5, 1944.

The 93-year-old queen, who served as an army mechanic during the war, noted that when she attended a 60th-anniversary commemoration 15 years ago, many thought it might be the last such event.

"But the wartime generation – my generation – is resilient," she said. "The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten," the monarch said. "It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country – indeed the whole free world – that I say to you all, thank you."

The event, which kicked off two days of D-Day anniversary observances, paid tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France.

D-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944, carried by 7,000 boats. The Battle of Normandy helped bring about Nazi Germany's defeat in May 1945.

Wednesday's ceremony brought together presidents, prime ministers and representatives of countries that fought alongside Britain in Normandy: The United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

Trump read a prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered in a radio address June 6, 1944, extolling the "mighty endeavor" Allied troops were engaged in.

British Prime Minister Theresa May read a letter written by Capt. Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps to his wife, Gladys, on June 3, 1944, a few days before the invasion. He was killed the day after D-Day.

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"So Iran is a place that was extremely hostile when I first came into office," Trump told British television station ITV.

"They were a terrorist nation No. 1 in the world at that time and probably maybe are today."

When asked if he thought he would need to take military action, he said: "There's always a chance. Do I want to? No. I'd rather not. But there's always a chance."

When asked if he was prepared to talk to Rouhani: Trump replied, "Yeah of course. I would much rather talk."

On Tuesday, Trump warned that Iran's potential acquisition of nuclear weapons, and that of any other rogue country, was a paramount concern to his administration.

"Among the pressing threats facing our nations is the development and spread of nuclear weapons – perhaps that's our biggest threat," Trump said during a press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May following a meeting at her residence.

"The United States and the United Kingdom are determined to ensure that Iran never develops nuclear weapons and stops supporting and engaging in terrorism," he stressed, before adding: "And I believe that will happen."

Speaking alongside Trump in London, May said the two nations differed on how to limit the threat from Iran.

The U.K. still supports the 2015 international agreement to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions but Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the deal.

"The U.K. continues to stand by the [Iran] nuclear deal. It is clear that we both want to reach the same goal," May said.

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