U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump effective immediately. His deputy, Hung Kao, will become acting Secretary of the Navy.
This was written about on the social network X by the Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell.
On April 22, Parnell announced that US Navy Secretary John Phelan was leaving the US administration immediately.
“On behalf of the Secretary of War and the Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the U.S. Navy,” Parnell wrote.
He also wished Phelan success in his future endeavors. Deputy Minister Hung Kao became the acting Minister of the Navy.
Reuters reported that Phelan, a billionaire seen as close to Trump, became the first US military secretary appointed by the current administration to be fired after Trump returned to the White House last year.
The personnel changes come amid a broader reshuffle in the Pentagon leadership under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Last year, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C. K. Brown Jr., the Navy's chief of naval operations, and the Air Force's deputy chief of staff were fired. On April 2, Hegseth fired U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George without giving a reason.
Phelan's release comes amid a tense ceasefire with Iran, as the United States is deploying additional naval forces to the Middle East. The U.S. military is counting on the fleet to enforce a blockade of Iran. Trump hopes the blockade will force Tehran to agree to an end to the conflict on Washington's terms.
Negotiations between the US and Iran and Trump's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
On April 11, trilateral talks between the United States and Iran were held in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, mediated by Pakistan. Following the talks, Vice President Vance said that the parties had failed to reach an agreement on a lasting end to the war. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said at the time that this had been hindered by disagreements on “two or three key issues.”
Trump then announced that the US Navy would begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 due to the failure of negotiations with Iran to agree on giving up its nuclear weapons. He said that the US military would intercept all ships that had paid Iran a toll to pass through the strait.
He also warned Iran that if its military began attacking American warships, the US Navy would “send the Iranians to hell.”
On April 18, Iran announced that it was restoring “strict control” over the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US naval blockade.
On April 20, Trump said that an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran was highly unlikely if the parties did not reach an agreement by the April 22 deadline.
On the evening of April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was again postponing a strike on Iran. He said he was doing so at the request of the Pakistani prime minister and because the Iranian government was “seriously divided” — and the ceasefire would remain in place until a “single Iranian offer” was made and negotiations were concluded “one way or another.” He said the U.S. military would continue its naval blockade of Iran.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported that Trump extended the ceasefire unilaterally, and Iran rejected the terms of negotiations proposed by the Americans.
Earlier, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported that the Iranian negotiating team had told the American side that it would not come to the talks in Islamabad and did not see any prospects for participating in them.
Advisor to the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mehdi Mohammadi, wrote on the social network X that Trump's extension of the ceasefire “does not make any sense, because the losing side cannot dictate the terms.” He added that he considers Trump's move an attempt to buy time for a surprise strike, and that the extension of the blockade is no different from bombing and should receive a “military response.”
Israeli and US military operation against Iran
On February 28, Israel attacked the Iranian capital Tehran. US President Donald Trump later said that the US military had launched a “major combat operation” against Iran to “eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime”. He accused the Iranian government of “funding and training” militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Hamas in Palestine. According to him, the aim of the military operation is to “destroy Iran's missile industry and navy” and “ensure that the world cannot be destabilised”.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones towards Israel, and also attacked US military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The European Union said it reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to ensuring regional security and stability” in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was fair to give the Iranians a chance to get rid of “the terrorist regime and guarantee the security of all peoples who have suffered from attacks from Iran.”
On February 28, Trump announced that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead, a claim later confirmed by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
On March 1, the IRGC announced that it was launching “the most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic” against Israel and “American terrorist bases.” Trump called on the Iranian regime to abandon these plans and threatened to strike “a very strong blow” in response.
On March 6, Trump declared the need for a complete change in Iran's leadership, adding that he already had several candidates for the role of “a good leader.” On March 8, Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
On March 26, President Trump announced that he would suspend the destruction of Iranian energy facilities until April 6. However, due to the lack of progress in concluding the agreement, Trump extended the deadline by 20 hours, until the evening of April 7.
Trump threatened to destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran, as well as take other measures that would have devastating consequences for the Iranians and provoke a dangerous response throughout the region.
On April 6, Iran provided the US and Israel with a separate 10-point plan to end the war over Pakistan.
On April 7, Trump announced that he had agreed to suspend bombing of Iran and postpone a “devastating attack” on it for two weeks if the Strait of Hormuz was unblocked. He said the ceasefire would be bilateral and that Iran's 10-point proposal was an acceptable basis for negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz within two weeks is possible “under the conditions of coordination with the Iranian armed forces and taking into account technical limitations.”