By Mina Mosallanejad 

As Washington’s costly war against Iran sinks deeper into strategic failure, the Trump administration has turned inward – purging senior military and security figures in a frantic attempt to contain mounting dissent, operational chaos, and the visible collapse of confidence inside the US war machine.

The widening personnel bloodbath inside the Trump administration is exposing a reality the White House has tried to conceal: the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran is not only faltering abroad, but also splintering the command structure tasked with sustaining it.

Within the span of just a few weeks, the administration has fired Navy Secretary John Phelan, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, Army Transformation and Training Command chief General David Hodne, and Army Chaplain Corps head Major General William Green Jr., while National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned in protest. 

The unprecedented wartime shake-up – one of the most severe in recent American history – has unfolded with virtually no coherent public explanation, a silence that has only amplified speculation that the dismissals are tied to growing internal opposition over Trump’s illegal, reckless and increasingly unpopular war against Iran.

The war against Iran has failed, by nearly every measurable strategic yardstick, to produce the political or military outcomes Washington and Tel Aviv promised at its outset, according to various political and military assessments.

Despite weeks of indiscriminate bombardment, coercive diplomacy, and maritime pressure, Iran neither collapsed internally nor submitted at the negotiating table. 

Tehran refused to negotiate under duress, rejected demands for unilateral concessions over its peaceful nuclear program, and signaled after the ceasefire that it remained unwilling to accept the US-Israeli formula of surrender through pressure.

At the same time, the war generated blowback that extended far beyond Iran itself. 

Iranian countermeasures in the Persian Gulf and the tightening of control over the Strait of Hormuz disrupted one of the world’s most sensitive oil corridors, rattling tanker traffic, pushing up shipping insurance costs, and sending ripples through global energy markets. 

Persian Gulf Arab partners aligned with Washington found themselves economically exposed, while the ripple effects of rising crude prices quickly fed into wider inflationary pressures across transportation, manufacturing, and food supply chains.

Equally embarrassing for Washington was the inability of its much-publicized naval blockade to fully isolate Iran. 

Though presented by the Trump administration as a decisive mechanism for economically suffocating the Islamic Republic, maritime tracking data showed that Iranian-linked tankers continued to bypass or outmaneuver US interdiction efforts through alternate routing, foreign flags, and the exploitation of patrol gaps. 

Instead of demonstrating uncontested American dominance, the so-called blockade increasingly came to symbolize the limits of US coercive power: capable of disrupting world trade, but unable to force “Iranian capitulation” without inflicting major costs on allies and international markets alike.

And now the unceremonious sacking of US military and security officials suggests panic at the top: a White House and Pentagon scrambling to eliminate dissenting voices as battlefield objectives remain unmet, the naval blockade of Iran produces international backlash, and sections of the US military establishment grow uneasy over the administration’s willingness to push the region toward a wider conflagration.

A closer review of the names involved and the details surrounding each departure helps illuminate the deeper institutional tensions emerging from Washington’s failed war on Iran.

John Phelan

Phelan was Secretary of the Navy, overseeing the naval branch directly involved in enforcing Washington’s blockade and maritime aggression against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

He was abruptly fired on April 22 and ordered to leave “effective immediately,” with Pentagon officials refusing to provide any formal explanation.

His removal came while the US Navy was actively implementing one of the most dangerous components of Trump’s war against Iran: the interdiction of Iranian-linked shipping and the enforcement of a so-called blockade on Iranian ports and vessels.

American outlets have framed the dismissal as a bureaucratic feud over shipbuilding and clashes with War Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

But the timing is politically revealing. Phelan was one of the few service secretaries with a direct communication line to Trump, and reports indicate Hegseth was angered by his independent channel into the White House. 

At a time when naval operations against Iran were becoming central to the US war, consolidating control over the Navy under more obedient loyalists appears to have become urgent for the incumbent government.

This was not a random management dispute, according to US media reports. 

The administration removed the official overseeing naval warfare precisely while the Navy was prosecuting an internationally condemned blockade of Iran. 

That points less to procurement frustration than to an attempt by Hegseth and Trump to tighten political control over the service branch most directly responsible for the war’s maritime escalation.

General Randy George

Randy George was the Chief of Staff of the Army, the highest-ranking officer responsible for force readiness, troop deployments, and ground-force planning.

On April 2, Hegseth forced Randy George into immediate retirement, roughly a year and a half before the normal end of his term.

No official reason was offered, an extraordinary omission considering the United States was in the middle of an active war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Removing the Army’s top uniformed commander during wartime is almost unheard of unless there is either catastrophic operational disagreement or a breakdown in trust between military leadership and civilian officials, according to military experts.

George had been deeply involved in moving additional personnel and air defense assets to West Asia even before the war was launched on February 28.

His abrupt ouster suggests a conflict over force posture, strategic planning, or the administration’s insistence on politically convenient narratives that contradicted military realities. 

Analysts in the US media openly noted that such leadership continuity is considered vital during combat, meaning Trump knowingly chose disruption over stability.

The message was unmistakable: officers who provide inconvenient battlefield assessments or resist reckless escalation are expendable.

General David Hodne

He was Head of Army Transformation and Training Command, responsible for doctrine modernization, force adaptation, and preparing US troops for future combat demands.

Hodne was fired the same day as Randy George, again with no substantive Pentagon explanation.

His command is not ceremonial; it shapes how the Army adjusts to battlefield lessons, casualty expectations, and doctrinal shortcomings. 

During an expanding war of aggression with Iran, Hodne would have been central to assessing whether US force design was adequate for a prolonged regional confrontation.

His dismissal suggested dissatisfaction not merely with personalities but with institutional assessments emerging from within the Army amid the failed war, according to analysts.

If Hodne’s command was producing analyses that contradicted the administration’s rosy claims about readiness or sustainability, his removal would fit the broader purge pattern: suppress professional military judgment in favor of political obedience.

Major General William Green Jr.

Green Jr. was Chief of Chaplains of the US Army, overseeing religious support, troop welfare, ethical counseling, and morale structures.

The removal of the Army’s senior chaplain in wartime was deeply symbolic, according to observers who expressed serious concern over the decision.

Chaplain leadership is closely tied to soldier morale, psychological resilience, casualty management, and ethical concerns among deployed personnel.

As casualties mount, deployments drag on, and troop unease grows over the purpose of the war, morale management becomes politically sensitive.

Analysts say Green’s firing indicates deepening internal friction over how severe the strain inside the ranks had become—or over the ethical discomfort generated by a war increasingly viewed as elective, destabilizing, and strategically incoherent.

In simpler terms: when even the institution tasked with tending to soldiers’ conscience and morale is swept aside, it suggests the Pentagon no longer wants honest readings from within its own ranks.

Joe Kent

Kent was Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, one of the highest-ranking intelligence officials in the Trump administration and a principal adviser on so-called "terrorism threats" and foreign retaliation scenarios.

Kent resigned on March 17 in what became the first major senior-level defection from inside Trump’s national security establishment over the disastrous war against Iran. 

In his resignation letter, he flatly rejected the White House’s central justification for launching the unprovoked military aggression, writing that he could not “in good conscience” support the war because “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”

But Kent did not stop at resignation. He vocally opposed the Trump administration's foreign policy centered on unprovoked wars, from Iran to Lebanon and beyond. 

In a series of media appearances after leaving office—including his extended interview with Tucker Carlson in which he spoke openly about the internal decision-making process—Kent effectively slammed the administration for manufacturing consent for war while silencing officials who questioned the rush to confrontation.

Kent said dissenting voices inside intelligence and security circles were largely frozen out before Trump ordered strikes on Iran, describing an atmosphere in which the administration had already committed itself politically to war and was no longer interested in sober threat assessment. 

He noted that the claim of an urgent Iranian danger had been deliberately inflated, while officials who warned that Tehran did not pose an immediate attack threat were ignored.

More explosively, Kent said the administration had been swept into war by what he described as a sustained Israeli and pro-war media pressure campaign that “short-circuited” diplomacy and replaced intelligence analysis with ideological demands for confrontation. 

In his interview after resigning, he said that the same "regime-change" fantasies that destroyed Iraq, Libya, and Syria were now being recycled against Iran despite the catastrophic record of US interventionism.

Kent’s remarks amounted to an extraordinary insider indictment: according to one of Trump’s own top intelligence chiefs, the war was not the result of unavoidable national defense, but of political manipulation, exclusion of contrary assessments, and a deliberate march toward escalation.

This transforms Kent’s resignation from a symbolic protest into documentary evidence of fracture inside the intelligence bureaucracy itself. 

He was not merely uncomfortable with the war’s optics; he was warning that the intelligence process had been subordinated to propaganda.

When the official tasked with evaluating terrorism threats says Iran was not an imminent danger, says dissent was frozen out, and says Washington was pushed into war by outside pressure, it severely undercuts every public claim that the administration was acting from strategic necessity, according to experts.

In effect, Kent confirmed that the White House’s Iran narrative was being held together less by facts than by coercion, messaging discipline, and the suppression of unwelcome intelligence.

The atmosphere of instability inside Trump’s national security apparatus appears to be widening still further.

'Drunk and erratic' FBI chief Kash Patel likely next cabinet-level official to be fired: Reporthttps://t.co/DVbMrGHdFt

On Saturday, Dasha Burns, White House Bureau Chief for the American website Politico, reported that a senior White House official had indicated FBI Director Kash Patel could be the next high-ranking figure to leave the administration, with the source saying Patel’s removal is now seen as “only a matter of time.” 

Though publicly framed by administration insiders as a response to the growing stream of scandals and negative headlines surrounding Patel’s erratic tenure at the FBI, the timing of the leak is politically telling.

If Patel is indeed pushed out, his departure would reinforce the impression of an administration spiraling through successive layers of wartime disruption: first military commanders, then intelligence officials, and now potentially the head of the FBI.

Taken together, these removals do not resemble normal personnel management; they resemble a wartime purge by an administration that senses its Iran war is generating too much friction inside the very institutions required to execute it, as analysts put it.

Trump and Hegseth are not projecting strength—they are clearing the room of officers, planners, morale officials, and security chiefs who may have questioned the wisdom, legality, sustainability, or honesty of Washington’s war narrative.

The louder the White House insists the situation is under control, the faster its own command structure appears to be cracking.

Press TV’s website

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has issued a direct and calculated response to fresh provocations from the US administration, exposing Washington’s exhausted playbook in the oil market while Tehran holds decisive strategic cards.

Speaker Qalibaf on Sunday took to social media to dismantle American bravado over energy leverage, reminding Washington that the global oil equation remains firmly balanced, with Iran still possessing major unplayed cards.

He posted on X, “They brag about the cards.

Let's see:

Supply Cards= Demand Cards

SOH (partly played)+BEM(unplayed)+Pipelines(unplayed)= Inv Release (played)+Demand Destruction (partly played)+More Price Adj (to come)

Add summer vacation to the right unless they want to cancel it for the US!”

The message was interpreted by analysts as a calm, factual warning to US policymakers: do not mistake temporary market maneuvers for real strength. While the Islamic Republic has only partially activated its options -- including the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and key pipeline routes -- the United States has already burned through its easiest and most immediate measures, notably Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases and limited demand-side pressure.

Iran’s strategic depth versus US vulnerability

Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that the Islamic Republic maintains full sovereign control over critical energy chokepoints that supply a massive share of the world’s oil. These assets remain largely unplayed, giving Tehran significant flexibility to respond to any escalation.

In contrast, Washington’s toolkit is visibly depleted. The US has already drawn heavily on emergency reserves and witnessed partial demand erosion, leaving it with few genuine options as the American summer driving season -- a period of peak gasoline consumption -- approaches.

Analysts note that further US provocations risk driving pump prices toward six dollars a gallon or higher, directly threatening the summer vacation plans of ordinary American families.

Speaker Qalibaf’s pointed reference to “summer vacation” underscores the domestic political cost the US administration would face if its aggressive posture backfires on voters.

Press TV’s website

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the experience of the US-Israeli war against Iran shows that US military presence in the region does not bring security to host countries.

“It only causes insecurity and division in the region,” Araghchi said Sunday as he met Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman in Muscat, where they discussed bilateral relations, latest regional developments, and ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving regional crises.

Araghchi further urged countries of the region to revise their security policies and revert toward a collective approach to ensure internal regional security without US interference.

During the meeting at the al-Baraka Palace, the top diplomat briefed the Omani monarch about the Iranian side’s viewpoints on the latest developments in the West Asia region following the US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic, and attempts to address them.

Araghchi also expressed Iran’s appreciation for the positions of the Sultanate of Oman in supporting dialogue and promoting efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in the region, particularly in light of current regional challenges.

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force says the Axis of Resistance is now stronger and more integrated than ever before. 

Posting on social media platform UpScrolled on Sunday, Brigadier General Esmail Qa'ani dismissed Israel’s recent claims of destroying Hezbollah’s capabilities in Lebanon.

He said that “unity and cohesion across the broader resistance front have become stronger and more solid than ever.”

Qa’ani reiterated that Hezbollah is not alone, and the entire resistance front stands alongside the group’s fighters, who are defending Lebanon’s sovereignty in the face of Israel’s ongoing aggression.

“Today, the primary focus remains on supporting Hezbollah and all other components of the Resistance,” he said.

The IRGC commander further said that the Israeli regime “has failed over the years to end wars on its terms or achieve its stated objectives.”

The US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, launched on February 28, drew in resistance forces from across the region, including from Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Russia to continue close consultations between Tehran and Moscow on regional and international issues, and to enhance bilateral relations.

Speaking upon arrival at Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg on Monday, Araghchi noted that due to the recent US-Israeli aggression against the country, there had been a gap in meetings with Russian counterparts.

“We have tried to use the available opportunity, following our trips to Pakistan and Oman, to travel to Russia,” he said.

Araghchi added that Monday’s meeting would be a good opportunity to discuss developments in the war and review the latest situation, expressing confidence that consultations and coordination between the two countries would be of particular importance.

Constructive consultations held in Pakistan

Regarding his trips to Islamabad and Oman over the past three days, the foreign minister emphasized the bilateral nature of the visits.

Pointing to Pakistan’s role as a mediator in Iran-US negotiations, Araghchi said it was necessary to review the latest situation with Pakistani officials.

“Previous negotiations, despite some progress, did not achieve their goals due to American approaches, their excessive demands, and their wrong policies. Therefore, we needed to hold consultations with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest developments,” Araghchi explained.

He stressed that Iran’s position in the negotiations is very important.

“We must secure the rights of the Iranian people after 40 days of resistance and protect the country’s interests,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi hails Oman’s warm hospitality and reaffirms the Islamic Republic’s commitment to regional cooperation, safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and putting neighbors first.

In a message highlighting Iran’s constructive diplomacy, Araghchi on Sunday expressed gratitude to his Omani hosts following important high-level talks in Muscat.

“Appreciative of my gracious hosts in Oman,” Araghchi posted on X.

“Important discussions on bilateral matters and regional developments. As only Hormuz littoral states, our focus included ways to ensure safe transit that is to benefit of all dear neighbors and the world. Our neighbors are our priority,” he added.

A prominent pro-resistance hacking group has announced a "historic" operation against a much-vaunted Israeli military reconnaissance unit specializing in covert operations across the world.

On Saturday, Handala said it had managed to expose the identities and personal data of 100 senior officers in the military's Maglan unit, aka Unit 212, which the regime credits as an "elite special operations unit."

"This unit is involved in clandestine operations, intelligence gathering, and targeting strategic assets such as missile systems and military bases," the group noted.

'Nowhere to hide'

"From this moment on, there is no longer any cover to hide behind; their names, faces, and records are in our possession," it stated.

"This disclosure is only the beginning. Even the most secure rooms are under our watch."

The group has repeatedly targeted senior Israeli figures, disclosing sensitive information as part of a broader psychological and information campaign.

On April 9, it reported having hacked the personal phone of Herzi Halevi, former chief of staff of the Israeli army, obtaining thousands of confidential images, videos, and documents. Among the initial releases were notable photos and videos showing Halevi inside his private office and during an undisclosed trip to Jordan.

Earlier, on March 20, the group reported breaching the private communications of a senior official at the regime's Mossad spy agency and publishing more than 100,000 sensitive documents.

In a statement detailing the operation, the hacking group announced that it had successfully breached the email account of Deborah Oppenheimer, former deputy head of foreign relations and cooperation at Mossad, who currently serves as the head of international affairs at the regime's so-called domestic security institute.

Press TV’s website

US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCA) after reports of gunfire triggered a rapid Secret Service response.

The incident unfolded on Saturday, roughly 30 minutes into the dinner, just as guests were being served their opening course.

Attendees reported hearing a series of loud bangs, some describing them as gunshots, others as crashing plates, before security moved in.

The White House Correspondents’ Association initially indicated the event might resume, but within an hour, much of the room had cleared. The organization later said the dinner would be rescheduled.

The disruption cut short what had already been an unusual Correspondents’ Dinner. It marked Trump’s first time attending the event as president, with no traditional comedian host.

Instead, mentalist Oz Pearlman had been performing and was interacting with Trump and Melania at the time of the incident.

The event took place at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the same venue where President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said the suspect “charged” a security checkpoint with multiple firearms “from 50 feet” before being apprehended by law enforcement.

Trump confirmed that one officer was shot during the incident but was protected by a bulletproof vest and is expected to be in good condition.

Flanked by officials including FBI Director Kash Patel and interim Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump said the investigation remains ongoing, with authorities executing search warrants and working across multiple agencies, including local police, federal law enforcement, and the Secret Service.

Officials did not confirm a motive, but Trump suggested that he might have been the target of the shooting.

The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, from Torrance, California, media reports said.

Press TV’s website

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Pakistani capital to discuss regional developments, amid efforts by Islamabad to revive stalled talks between Tehran and Washington to end the war. 

Senior Pakistani officials Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Army Commander Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and National Security Advisor General Asim Malik, were also present at the meeting.

Islamabad hosted a first round of talks between Tehran and Washington earlier this month days after it mediated a two-week ceasefire that would create room for diplomacy aimed permanently ending the war.

One of the meeting's focal points was the ongoing war, which the US and Israel launched against Iran on February 28. Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s perspectives and concerns to the Pakistani mediators.

Prime Minister Sharif hailed the meeting with Iran’s foreign minister as the “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation.”

“We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations,” he posted on X.

Additionally, discussions focused on regional efforts to enhance peace and stability within the West Asian region.

Earlier in the day, Araghchi held separate talks with Field Marshal Asim Munir, who said the trust Iran has placed in Pakistan as a neighboring Islamic nation facilitated diplomatic talks aimed at storing peace.

Munir also reiterated Pakistan's readiness to continue its mediation efforts to bring about a resolution to the war, emphasizing a mutual desire for stability that benefits not only Iran and Pakistan but the wider West Asian region.

Following the meeting, Araghchi commended Pakistan’s mediation efforts.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that officials were actively engaged in discussions concerning regional developments.

Ishaq Dar highlighted Pakistan's role in facilitating talks between Iran and the US to promote peace, reiterating the country's intent to play a constructive role.

He also emphasized that official statements regarding the Iran-US facilitation process, including those made during the meeting, are solely issued through formal government channels to avoid misinformation and misrepresentation.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, no meeting is scheduled between representatives from Tehran and Washington during Araghchi’s trip to Islamabad.

Iranian officials have said that the illegal US naval blockade or Iranian ports and other violations of the ceasefire are hindering progress in talks.

Press TV’s website

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after holding discussions with senior Pakistani officials on regional security and a ceasefire with the United States, during which he presented Iran’s demands on ending the eight-week war. 

While in Islamabad, the first leg of his three-nation tour, Araghchi met with Pakistan’s Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key figure in the mediation effort, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The top diplomat thanked Pakistan for its efforts to mediate the April 8 ceasefire between Tehran and Washington and the subsequent talks, and laid out Iran’s “principled positions” on the state of the truce and the complete end to the imposed war against Iran.

Pakistan’s top diplomat, Senator Dar, said that the meeting with Araghchi and the Iranian delegation lasted around two hours, during which Pakistan stressed “the importance of dialogue and diplomacy.”

Prime Minister Sharif hailed the meeting with Araghchi as the “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation.”

“We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations,” he posted on X.

The Iranian delegation left Islamabad before US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were expected to travel to the Pakistani capital to meet with mediators.

US President Donald Trump, however, later told Fox News that he had canceled the visit.

Tehran had previously said that there was no plan for the Iranian delegation to meet with the American representatives in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s mediation efforts have stalled over the illegal US naval blockade of Iranian ports and excessive demands put forward by Washington.

Araghchi will now travel to Oman and then Russia to discuss efforts to end the illegal war, which was launched against Iran by Israel and the United States on February 28.

In addition to 100 waves of retaliatory strikes against US and Israeli assets across the region, Iran also put restrictions on transit in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied gas supplies in peacetime.

US President Donald Trump unilaterally extended the two-week ceasefire this week and hours before it was set to expire. He said there was no rush to reach a deal with Iran, but that he was awaiting a proposal from Tehran.

Press TV’s website