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THE SECRETARY OF the US Navy has become the latest senior military officer to leave their role since the war against Iran began.
In the midst of the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon announced yesterday that John Phelan would leave “immediately”.
It gave no reason for his sudden departure, but US media has reported Phelan was fired by defence secretary Pete Hegseth. Multiple US media outlets reported that Phelan has clashed with Hegseth since he took over the Pentagon when appointed by President Donald Trump.
Phelan’s departure follows that of General Randy George, the now former chief of staff of the US army, who Hegseth asked to resign earlier this month.
The secretary of the navy does not oversee deployed forces, so Phelan’s exit is not likely to have direct impacts on the US war against Iran, but it does add to a picture building of a dysfunctional defence department under Hegseth.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has made sweeping – and often unpopular – changes to Pentagon policies covering gender, media access and also introducing distinctly religious rhetoric into official department pronouncements.
Hegseth has also reportedly had clashes with the US army’s secretary, Daniel Driscoll.
Meanwhile, the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz has continued today after Iran said it could not reopen the vital maritime corridor as long as the United States continues to blockade its ports.
Iran said it it has seized two ships while the US military said it had turned back 31 vessels as part of its blockade.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late last night that it had “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port” as part of its own “blockade against Iran”.
As the clock ticked for a return to the war that has engulfed the region, US President Donald Trump had said Tuesday he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks.
Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement.
“A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade,” said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.
“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
Trump had said he wanted to give time for Iran’s “fractured” leadership to come up with a proposal, in what many observers saw as a face-saving way to avoid renewed war.
Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold on Tuesday.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for about one-fifth of the world’s oil.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the Guards said in a statement.
They identified the vessels as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas.
Panama’s foreign ministry confirmed the seizure of the MSC Francesca, calling it a “serious attack on maritime security” and an “unnecessary escalation”.
UK-based maritime security monitors confirmed that three commercial vessels had reported incidents involving gunboats in the strait.
Among them, a container ship reported being fired upon by a Revolutionary Guards boat 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing damage to the bridge but no casualties, monitor UKMTO said.
Under orders from Trump, the US Navy is attempting to block vessels heading to or from Iranian ports, seeking to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy even without all-out war.
Iran in retaliation for being attacked has said that vessels must seek permission to leave or enter the Gulf through the strait. It had earlier promised free passage during the ceasefire but returned to defiance after Trump announced the blockade.
With reporting from AFP
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