News Desk, The Cradle.
Amid Preparations To Reignite War On Iran.
Over two dozen high-ranking generals and admirals have been dismissed or have quit since Hegseth was named war secretary.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ousted Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, who was responsible for drafting military options for war against Iran, The Atlantic reported on 28 October.
Sylvia is the second officer dismissed from the Joint Staff’s top strategy and planning post this year, and he was removed without explanation, with no replacement named.
The general’s removal marks at least the 26th dismissal of a general or admiral since Hegseth assumed office in January 2025, and comes as US President Donald Trump weighs renewed escalation against Iran once the US midterm elections conclude on 3 November.
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told supporters at a rally last week, referring to the name given to the US-Israeli joint assault on Iran launched in February, “Or they’ll agree.”
Washington has since warned its Gulf allies to expect a “short, intense” attack on Iran after the midterms, passing the message through diplomatic and military channels, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 28 October, citing people briefed on the exchanges.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is directing the war, has drawn up options ranging from a brief wave of strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites to a prolonged campaign designed to push Iran’s economy toward collapse and force Tehran into negotiations.
Sylvia’s ouster is the latest in a sweeping campaign to purge the US military’s command structure of officers on the basis of political loyalty to Trump and his administration rather than merit.
Among those removed was Defense Intelligence Agency director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, who was fired after his agency reportedly assessed that the June 2025 US strikes had only delayed Iran’s nuclear program, contradicting Trump’s own claims of absolute success.
Others have reportedly been pushed out over past ties to diversity policies that Hegseth dismisses as “woke,” a label he has used to justify the cuts.
Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, has called the firings a “purge” that will take the military years to recover from.
US tells Gulf states to brace for renewed assault on Iran after midterms: Report
Trump is holding off until after the midterms before unleashing what he calls ‘another little Epic Fury’ on Iran
The US has warned its Gulf allies of a possible “short, intense” attack on Iran after the US midterms have concluded, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 28 October.
Citing people briefed on the conversations, WSJ said the messages were relayed through diplomatic and military channels, adding to mounting signs that Washington and Tel Aviv are preparing a renewed assault on Iran.
The warning comes as an additional US aircraft carrier strike group and Marine expeditionary unit prepare to join roughly 20 other warships operating in West Asia in November.
On 1 October, AP reported that the US was dispatching roughly 9,000 additional personnel to the region, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which carries the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
A US official told AP the deployment could bring the number of US aircraft carriers in the region to three.
The reinforcements add to a US military presence already estimated at roughly 50,000 personnel in early October.
US forces in West Asia are also replenishing their weapons stockpiles and readying bombers and fighter jets for strikes, WSJ reported, adding that a Patriot air defense system is being shipped from Texas and troops have been pulled from exposed bases.
Trump is reportedly leaning toward a large-scale assault on Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites as soon as the midterms are over, holding off until after the vote to shield an approval rating that has sunk to the lowest on record across either of his two terms, according to a number of surveys.
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told his supporters at a rally, “Or they’ll agree.”
Israel has also drawn up plans and targets for a new attack, WSJ reported, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continuing to lobby for renewed strikes aimed at weakening Iran and ultimately toppling its government.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted that any renewed aggression would draw a forceful response against economic and civilian targets across the region.
Having withstood more than 20,000 US and Israeli strikes, Iran still commands an arsenal of hundreds to thousands of missiles, and it has used the lull in fighting to rebuild its stocks and fortify its defenses.
A senior Iranian official denied that Qatar had handed Tehran a new proposal to end the US-Israeli war, telling Reuters that Qatari mediators had instead put forward a set of “unacceptable” ideas and that Tehran would not budge on the nuclear issue.
The denial contradicts an earlier Reuters report that Qatar had presented Iran with a seven-day plan to end the war.
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