Trump rejects intelligence assessment on Iran strikes and fires DIA chief
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse and two other senior officials due to an assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency.
- The assessment found that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities only delayed Iran's program by a few months, contradicting President Trump's proclamation.
- This decision reflects ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and military intelligence, marking a notable shift in military leadership.
In a significant reshuffling of military leadership, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, along with two other senior Pentagon officials. This decision came in response to an assessment that Kruse's agency released regarding the impact of U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The assessment indicated that the strikes, which occurred in June 2025, only delayed Iran's nuclear program by a few months, contradicting President Donald Trump's claims that the program had been 'completely and fully obliterated.' This discrepancy incited tension between the administration and the intelligence community, prompting Hegseth's decisive action to relieve Kruse from duty, signaling a shift in perspectives about military effectiveness and intelligence reporting within the Trump administration. Besides Kruse, Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore and Rear Adm. Milton Sands were also removed from their positions without specified reasons, highlighting a broader trend of dismissals within military ranks under Trump's leadership. Previous firings included high-ranking officers from various branches, indicating a systematic overhaul within the military and intelligence framework under the administration's watch.