Trump Said the War With Iran Could Resume After the Midterms. Hegseth Just Fired the Pentagon’s Top Military Planner.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired a top Pentagon official as chances of a resumption of full-fledged hostilities with Iran after the midterms loom large.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Associated Press noted.

There is no official reason for Sylvia's dismissal, who has now retired from the armed forces. The Pentagon did not give a reason for the decision.

It is the second time in a year that a general is ousted from the post, known as "J5," considering that Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee was forced to retire in October 2025. Whoever holds the post is responsible for creating and coordinating military plans with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president.

"The Chairman, the Joint Staff, and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation" a spokesperson for the Joint Staff said.

As prospects of renewed conflict after the midterms climb, negotiations with mediators continue as well. Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to the Iranian leadership emphasizing that any path towards a new deal must include "discussions on the nuclear issue."

The letter in question was sent to top Iranian military leader Mohsen Rezaei, who has a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. "The President was enthusiastic about the letter," a U.S. official told Axios.

The development comes after another report noted that Iranian leaders will take a proposal detailing nuclear concessions to the U.S. in exchange for sanctions relief to avoid a return to a full-fledged war to Khamenei.

The same outlet detailed that the proposal, put forward by Qatar and supported by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, would see Iran allowing UN inspectors to visit its nuclear sites in exchange for sanctions relief.

One possibility includes returning to an agreement reached with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which allowed for the resumption of visits to nuclear sites but was later suspended after the UN Security Council reimposed snapback sanctions a month later.

Iran has been insisting that the U.S. first lift its blockade of the country's ports and release frozen funds. However, Iranian officials said they will take the proposal to the supreme leader for approval in the coming days.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media publication that the country "continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed" and remains in "close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week."