Claims Hegseth ‘on verge of losing job’ raise questions about future US-China defence ties

Donald Trump is losing patience with the Pentagon chief because of the stalled Iran war, according to several sources

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, said Hegseth was “on the verge of losing his job”.

The uncertainty comes at a sensitive time for defence relations between the United States and China, which have shown signs of improvement since Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Beijing in May.

One source familiar with engagements between the two countries’ armed forces said there had been contact at almost all levels during Trump’s second term and relations were the best they had been in more than a decade.