Hegseth fires the Pentagon's top military planner as Trump weighs new Iran strikes and says the US will guide ships through Hormuz
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner. US officials have told Middle East allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes on Iran after the 3 November midterms, and for Iranian retaliation, according to diplomats who say Trump has not made a final decision.
Left 0 · Centre-left 6 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 3 · Right 1
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
A purge before a war: 'Hegseth Fires a Top General' (The Atlantic); Iran 'threatens retaliation' as Trump says the US will guide ships through Hormuz (Washington Post).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “US warns allies to prepare for possible Iran strikes, retaliation after elections, AP sources say” (The Hill).
Right-leaning outlets
Preparing for action: 'US tells Gulf allies to ‘brace for new strikes on Iran’' (The Times); Hegseth fires 'top Pentagon war planner Brett Sylvia in latest military shake-up' (New York Post).
Context
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Sources by lean
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Centre 1
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Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: Warnings meant to deter a war can also make one more likely.
What each side may be protecting: Left: avoiding a wider war and civilian control done properly. Right: deterrence and a military aligned with its commander.
A question to hold: What would Iran have to do, and what would the US accept, to make new strikes unnecessary?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (11 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| Associated Press | Centre-left | The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source |
| CNN | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| The Atlantic | Centre-left | The Atlantic is published by The Atlantic Monthly Group. In 2017, Emerson Collective, the organization founded and led by Laurene Powell Jobs, acquired majority ownership of The Atlantic from Atlantic Media’s David G. Bradley, who retained a minority stake at the time of the sale. source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| The Hill | Centre | In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source |
| New York Post | Centre-right | The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source |
| The Times | Centre-right | The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source |
| Washington Times | Centre-right | Operations Holdings Inc is the Washington Times owner, owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, through their holding company HSA-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity). In 1954, Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded this religious movement in South Korea, known for its mass weddings, and its members are referred to as “Moonies.” source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| i24NEWS | Not rated | No ownership data found |