Trump Dismisses General After Iran Nuclear Site Damage Report Sparks Anger

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Senior General Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) since early 2024. Kruse’s removal comes after the DIA reported that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June did not cause major damage. This assessment reportedly angered President Donald Trump. On Friday, two other senior military commanders were also dismissed, though the exact reasons for their removal have not been made public. Media reports reports that this move is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing reshuffle of defense officials.

Tension Between DIA and Trump

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also removed Navy Reserve Chief Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, who led the Navy Special Warfare Command. Similar to Kruse, no reasons were given for their dismissal. Prior to becoming DIA director, Kruse had served as the military advisor to the Director of National Intelligence. He has held several positions, including intelligence director, focusing on ISIS (ISIL). After the U.S. attacks on Iran in June, the DIA under Kruse stated that the strikes were not very successful and that Iran’s nuclear sites had not suffered significant damage. This was widely reported in the U.S. media. Trump was displeased with this report because he had claimed that Iran’s nuclear sites had been completely destroyed. He expressed anger over DIA’s initial findings regarding the U.S. strikes on Iran.

‘Trump’s Approach Is Not Right’

U.S. Senator and Vice-Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, criticised Trump, saying that the dismissal of a senior national security officer reflects the dangerous approach of the Trump administration. He is reportedly assessing intelligence based on personal loyalty rather than national security. Since starting his second term as president in January this year, Trump has been continuously removing officials. Multiple senior military officials have been dismissed, including General Charles Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was removed in February without any given explanation.