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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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Some U.S. military leaders are telling troops that the Iran war is part of "God's divine plan" featuring President Donald Trump and Jesus, according to a religious freedom advocacy group. In response to Newsweek's request for comment on the matter, the Pentagon talked about Trump's action in Iran.
Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the nonprofit group has received more than 200 complaints from roughly 50 military installations since Saturday involving reports of U.S. commanders linking Christianity to the "biblically sanctioned" war in Iran.
"This morning our commander opened up the combat readiness status briefing by urging us to not be 'afraid' as to what is happening with our combat operations in Iran right now," one complaint reads. "He urged us to tell our troops that this was 'all part of God’s divine plan' and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He said that 'President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.'"
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Weinstein, a former Air Force officer, said the complaints represent the "unrestricted euphoria" of some U.S. military commanders who believe the ongoing conflict in Iran represents Christian fundamentalism as described in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
"This is a national security threat—not just to our country, but to the world," Weinstein told Newsweek during a brief interview on Tuesday. "No one should be surprised that commanders are doing this, but when you tell someone they lack courage, character, bravery, honesty and intrepidity because of their chosen religious faith—or lack thereof—there's no difference between saying that and telling someone they're stupid because of the color of their skin or because they were born female."
Weinstein said the complaints directly reflect the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) prohibitions against injecting religious beliefs into military messaging.
"This is horrible, hideous, repellent, stinking Christian nationalist triumphalism, brutality, tyranny, prejudice, hatred and bigotry," Weinstein said. "And I'm not done. It is ripping asunder that which keeps the military together, which is six things: good order, morale, discipline, unit cohesion, the health and safety of the troops and mission accomplishment."
The Pentagon referred Newsweek to Hegseth's remarks to reporters on Monday alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine in response to complaints received by MRFF officials.
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Hegseth outlined Operation Epic Fury during a 41-minute press conference.
“Two days ago, under the direction and direct orders of President Donald J. Trump, the Department of War launched Operation Epic Fury, the most lethal, most complex and most precise aerial operation in history,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon also directed Newsweek to Hegseth's address on Monday to the U.S. Joint Forces Command.
"This is your moment," Hegseth told troops in a two-minute video posted Monday. "This is the generational turning point America has waited for 1979, and since the rudderless wars of hubris my generation, our generation, endured. Don't listen to the noise, just stay focused. Our commander in chief is steady at the wheel. We face a determined enemy, but you are better. But we must prove it, every single day."
Weinstein declined to provide copies of the complaints sent to MRFF, but called on military leaders to prosecute commanders found guilty of violating the military criminal code.
"This is creating a propaganda bonanza for Al Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram," Weinstein said. "And it's certainly inflating the passions of everybody in Iran. It is religious extremism and it is wrong."
Reporter Jonathan Larsen published a complaint sent from a noncommissioned officer to MRFF officials on Monday.
"Our commander would probably be described as a 'Christian First' supporter," the officer wrote. "He has been this way for a very long time and makes it clear that he desires all of us under him to become just like him as a Christian. But what he did this morning was so toxic and over the line that it shocked many of us in attendance at the [operational] readiness briefing."
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