Daily Mail · Iran · 22 Aug 2026

The headline editorialises, passive voice hides who attacked, and the dead are labelled, the other side is not.

/ 10 · article score

scored on 5 of 11 measures · thin coverage

The double standard

The article names and qualifies US actors and their claims with institutional authority while Iranian deaths and suffering are filtered through unverified third-hand testimony and dismissive labelling, applying a stricter standard of certainty to Iranian assertions than to American ones.

How it builds, in Khamenei killing and burned flesh passage

Iranian deaths reported via unnamed cleric, two removes from event
The impact of the US attack that killed Ayatollah Khamenei is still there, as an Iranian Shiite cleric said Friday that they still smell 'burned flesh' near the ex-supreme leader's compound.
Claim attributed to unnamed cleric, not verified independently
Cleric's account itself is third-hand hearsay
'Someone told me that when you go near the Supreme Leader's compound, you can still smell burned flesh. I went there myself and found it was true — you can still smell burned flesh,' the cleric said at a gathering of supporters in Tehran's Tajrish Square.
Evidence of Iranian deaths rests on someone told me chain, no independent corroboration
Iranian witnesses labelled by political affiliation
a nighttime gathering of Islamic Republic supporters
Audience characterised as partisan, implicitly discrediting the testimony
US claim reported directly, no qualifier on credibility
Trump said that he considers the Strait of Hormuz 'an American territory'
Claim reported as straightforward fact with named, authoritative source
US official named and titled, claim taken at face value
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had similarly said last week that the US would soon be ramping up efforts at economically isolating Iran, as part of a two-pronged approach with a US naval blockade.
Full institutional attribution, no sceptical framing
Iranian counter-claim framed as mere deflection
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said in response that Trump's plan was simply a 'diversion' from the US' own crisis.
Iranian official named but claim immediately characterised as spin via the word simply
Iranian president's denial flagged with sceptical verb claimed
Pezeshkian claimed that Tehran made zero 'concessions' to the US when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Trump in June.
Verb claimed signals doubt; US statements use said throughout

The same decision, both sides

Verb choice signalling credibility of speaker

US officials are consistently introduced with the neutral verb said, lending their statements unquestioned authority.

Trump said that he considers the Strait of Hormuz 'an American territory'

The Iranian president's denial is introduced with claimed, a verb that signals the reader should be sceptical.

Pezeshkian claimed that Tehran made zero 'concessions' to the US when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Trump in June.

Characterisation of the audience lending credibility to a claim

The venue for Trump's claims is described neutrally as a rally, with no suggestion that the audience colours the reliability of what was said.

Speaking at a rally for Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, Trump made his thoughts on the Strait clear.

The Iranian cleric's audience is labelled by political allegiance, implicitly inviting the reader to discount the testimony.

the cleric said at a gathering of supporters in Tehran's Tajrish Square

What a reader is left with. A reader is left believing that US claims and actions are straightforward facts while Iranian suffering is unverified hearsay and Iranian denials are self-serving spin.

File a complaint

This article can be challenged under the Editors' Code of Practice, Clause 1 (Accuracy).

Amend the headline to apply equivalent grammatical agency and equivalent emotive register to all named parties: for example, replace 'begs' with a neutral verb such as 'calls' and remove or contextualise the 'burning flesh' descriptor so that comparable sensory language is applied consistently, or not at all.
Append a correction or editor's note to the article identifying the agent referred to as 'they' in the sentence 'they hit the Supreme Leader's compound with 110 bombs and missiles', so that readers can assess the action and its consequences accurately.

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Aggressor framingHeadline analysisVictim affiliation labelsSanctions framing

Trump doubles down on controlling Strait of Hormuz... as Iran's president begs for fighting to end while smell of 'burning flesh' lingers on Tehran streets

Donald Trump said that he considers the Strait of Hormuz 'an American territory' as the President of Iran begged for the bloodshed to end. The President has made the reopening of the waterway a key plank of ending the Iran War, as the conflict heads toward the six month mark. Speaking at a rally for Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, Trump made his thoughts on the Strait clear. He spoke about how the US 'we down and we stopped' the Islamic Republic of Iran from having a nuclear weapon and now has them desperate to make a deal. 'They want to make a deal so badly, we don't even know if we want it because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now. It's an American territory.' Earlier Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in public remarks that he believes it would be 'better to end the war today while we are in a position of strength and dignity.' Pezeshkian claimed that Tehran made zero 'concessions' to the US when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Trump in June. However, Iranians are dealing with a worsening cost of living crisis due to the country's inability to export oil, The Financial Times reported. Donald Trump said that he considers the Strait of Hormuz 'an American territory' as the President of Iran begged for the bloodshed to end Earlier Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (pictured) said in public remarks that he believes it would be 'better to end the war today while we are in a position of strength and dignity' Trump warned Thursday he will launch a campaign to crush Iran's economy and threatened 'tremendous' punishment on any country that does business with Tehran. The impact of the US attack that killed Ayatollah Khamenei is still there, as an Iranian Shiite cleric said Friday that they still smell 'burned flesh' near the ex-supreme leader's compound. 'Our leader had a frail body, but contrary to reports that seven or eight bombs were dropped on the site, they hit the Supreme Leader's compound with 110 bombs and missiles,' he told Iranian media . 'Someone told me that when you go near the Supreme Leader's compound, you can still smell burned flesh. I went there myself and found it was true — you can still smell burned flesh,' the cleric said at a gathering of supporters in Tehran's Tajrish Square. Trump issued his latest threat on Wednesday night, writing on Truth Social: 'Today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale. 'ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.' The President did not specify what punishment countries would face, and none other than Iran were mentioned by name. He listed several activities that he said need to stop immediately: 'oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies'. The President has made the reopening of the waterway a key plank of ending the Iran War, as the conflict heads toward the six month mark The impact of the US attack that killed Ayatollah Khamenei (pictured right) is still there, as an Iranian Shiite cleric said Friday that they still smell 'burned flesh' near the ex-supreme leader's compound The intensified economic pressure campaign comes as the war nears its sixth month with no immediate diplomatic or military off-ramp in sight and the vital Strait of Hormuz still significantly choked-off. With November elections quickly approaching, the President is facing renewed domestic scrutiny over the war's costs on US consumers and toll on the military. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said in response that Trump's plan was simply a 'diversion' from the US' own crisis. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had similarly said last week that the US would soon be ramping up efforts at economically isolating Iran, as part of a two-pronged approach with a US naval blockade. 'It will be a combination of economic isolation, like the world has never seen before,' Bessent told conservative television network Newsmax. The US Treasury has for months been carrying out an effort, dubbed Operation Economic Fury, aiming to cut off Iran's funding with targeted sanctions. Iran has struck a defiant tone, having survived months of US military operations that failed to bring a decisive end to the war. The conflict broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region. Tehran's missile and drone threat has severely curtailed shipping traffic through the Strait, as a framework US-Iran deal to reopen it collapsed. “Someone told me that when you go near the Supreme Leader’s compound, you can still smell burned flesh. I went there myself and found it was true — you can still smell burned flesh," a Shiite cleric told a nighttime gathering of Islamic Republic supporters in Tehran’s Tajrish… pic.twitter.com/zLxoTUo2lw — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 21, 2026 In recent days, both sides have said messages were being exchanged, however Trump on Tuesday insisted talks were off and posted a message on social media suggesting the strait could be a 'NEW US Territory.' On Tuesday, the UAE announced that it was suspending all economic dealings with Iran after saying it had been targeted by two ballistic missiles. The neighbors across the Gulf share deep cultural and historical ties, and the UAE - home to a sizable Iranian community - had been a major trading partner for US-sanctioned Iran, at least before the war. 'We need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat,' Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social.

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