Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing new criticism for his rhetoric about how President Donald Trump's administration is handling its war against Iran.

During an interview with MS Now on Sunday, Army Major General Randy Manner was asked for his thoughts after a compilation clip was played of Hegseth making aggressive remarks, including his promise of "death and destruction from the sky all day long."

"I want to be very clear – the words that the secretary of defense said are absolutely the words of potential war criminals," Major Manner responded.

"Putting it bluntly," he continued, "the president cannot protect this secretary... even if he does give him a pardon for his crimes.

"The International War Tribunal will potentially consider this secretary for war crimes against humanity," Manner added.

Since the beginning of Trump's second term, both the president and Hegseth have sought to reshape the Pentagon in a more hawkish image, even going so far as to rename it the "Department of War."

During the 2024 presidential race, Manner – who has been an outspoken critic of Trump for several years – slammed the Republican after he made vague threats to go after "the enemy within," which the major general argued resembled the rhetoric of a fascist leader.

"Most Americans don't know how easy it would be for... an unhinged president to use the military against our own citizens," Manner warned.