Live updates: Follow the latest news on the Iran war
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Gen Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, from his post in a rare wartime shake-up that comes as Washington escalates its conflict with Iran.
The Pentagon said Gen George would retire immediately, thanking him for his decades of service, but gave no reason for his departure.
The purge also included Gen David Hodne, who leads the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Maj Gen William Green, head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps, US officials who did not want to be identified told Reuters.
Removing a sitting army chief during an active conflict is highly unusual and underscores the scale of changes under way at the Pentagon.
The leadership overhaul comes as the war with Iran escalates in its fifth week, with US President Donald Trump stepping up threats and warning that civilian infrastructure could be struck if Tehran fails to reach a deal by his April 6 deadline.
In a post on TruthSocial, Mr Trump said the US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” adding: “Bridges next, then electric power plants.” He urged Iran’s leadership to act quickly and wrote that the “new regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, fast!”
The remarks followed a major strike that destroyed a key crossing west of Tehran. Mr Trump later said that the “biggest bridge in Iran” had been hit, sharing footage of an attack on the B1 bridge in Karaj. “It is time for Iran to make a deal before it is too late, and there is nothing left of what still could become a great country,” he added.
Iranian state media reported that eight people were killed and 95 wounded in the strike on the bridge linking Tehran with the western city of Karaj.
The threat to expand attacks to infrastructure essential for civilian life has alarmed legal experts. Dozens of international law specialists in the US signed an open letter warning that such strikes could amount to war crimes.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on civilian objects and require warring parties to distinguish between military targets and infrastructure vital to civilian populations, including electricity networks.
The new US strategy in Iran mirrors that of Israel in Lebanon, which has focused on attacking civilian infrastructure, including key bridges, to isolate the south of the country from the rest during its war with Hezbollah, risking severe impact on civilians.
Mr Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and objectives for the conflict, reinforced his stance in a televised address on Wednesday, warning the war could intensify if Iran refuses to meet US terms, including possible strikes on its energy and oil infrastructure.
The escalation coincides with a broader US military build-up in the Middle East. While operations against Iran are currently led by the Navy and Air Force, Army units have been deployed to support air defence systems. Thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the region, raising the prospect of expanded operations, including potential ground involvement.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on social media that Iran is ready to confront such a deployment. "Bring it on," he wrote.
