The US Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving the Pentagon despite the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports, it has been announced.
John Phelan is leaving the Pentagon immediately, with no explanation given for the departure.
The shock move follows the removal of US Army officer General Randy George and two other senior officers earlier this month amid the unresolved war with Iran.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Phelan is departing immediately – and has been replaced temporarily by Undersecretary Hung Cao.
Donald Trump has sacked or removed several top Armed Forces personnel since his re-election, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, in February 2025.
The moves have led to fears that the military is being politicised by the administration, despite the military traditionally remaining neutral.
The upheaval comes as three tankers were fired on in the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing standoff between Trump and the Iranian regime.
Iranian state media reported on Wednesday morning that a ship named the Euphoria had been targeted by Tehran and was currently “stranded off the coast of Iran”.
The reports came hours after the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said two other vessels – the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas – had been shot at by gunboats in the waterway.
Local news agencies had claimed those two boats had been “seized” in the strait, but it was unclear to what extent they were under Iranian control.
In a statement, The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said the ships were “non-compliant” and had been “escorted to the Iranian coast”.
Iran’s military force added that the ships had “endangered maritime security by operating without the necessary permits and by tampering with navigation systems”.
The attacks came just hours after Mr Trump announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday.
The US President made the announcement on his Truth Social, with just hours remaining before the deadline on the initial two-week peace deal was set to expire.
According to Sky News, the MSC Francesca is run by MSC, the Swiss-based company that operates the world’s largest container shipping fleet, while the Epaminondas is owned by the Greek company Kalmar Maritime.
Both ships were travelling east towards the Gulf of Oman earlier this morning when they came under attack.
MarineTraffic data indicates both ships transited the strait with their tracking systems switched off, before reactivating them around the time the attacks took place.
The Strait of Hormuz, which has become one of the central points of the conflict, was shut down by Iran following the initial US and Israeli attacks on February 28, forcing up oil prices and rocking global markets.
Around a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) – as well as other petrochemicals – usually passes through the key shipping route.
In response, US forces announced a blockade in the strait earlier this month, meaning they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran’s coast.
Washington did so to attempt to put pressure on Tehran by stopping it from profiting from oil exports.
On Wednesday, the US Central Command announced its forces have directed 28 vessels to turn around or return to port since the blockade began.
After announcing an extension of the ceasefire, Mr Trump said he had directed the military to continue its blockade.
But Iran has warned it will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the blockade is lifted, claiming the move is a ceasefire violation.
Tehran has repeatedly called for the US to end its blockade and their ambassador to the UN says the country’s Islamic rulers are willing to negotiate “immediately” with Washington on finding an end to the war once it is lifted.
Over the weekend, the US seized two Iranian ships, leading Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to claim it is ready inflict “crushing blows” on the US should fighting should restart.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says the country is “closely monitoring developments” in the political arena, adding it would take “necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard Iran’s national interests and security”.
Amid the continued tensions between the two sides, the EU has proposed a series of measures to help deal with the impact of the war on the continent’s energy market.
In early trading today, Brent crude oil was trading at close to $98 a barrel, up more than 30% since the day the war started, but down from the wartime peaks.
One of the measures of “AccelerateEU” includes the bloc improving the sharing of jet fuel to avoid shortages, as well as “immediate and more structural relief measures”.
Jet fuel prices have reportedly more than doubled since the Iran war started, with some European airlines cancelling unprofitable flights and retiring their least fuel-efficient aircraft.
