US Navy Secretary John C Phelan exits Trump administration amid West Asia conflict

Washington DC [US], April 23 : The US Department of War on Wednesday (local time) announced that Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan is stepping down with immediate effect, with Hung Cao set to take over as Acting Secretary of the Navy.

The development was confirmed by Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who thanked Phelan for his service and said the administration wishes him well in his future endeavours.

In a post on X, Parnell wrote, "Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately. On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy."

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STATEMENT:

Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately.

On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy.

We wish…

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) April 22, 2026

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"We wish him well in his future endeavors. Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy," the post read.

The announcement comes as the US Navy continues enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports during the ceasefire, with American forces having redirected 29 vessels back to port and intercepting ships attempting to breach the restrictions, as reported by CNN.

Meanwhile, earlier, US President Donald Trump hinted at a "possible" diplomatic breakthrough with Iran, even as maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to collapse a fragile regional ceasefire.

The President's optimism, delivered via a text message to The New York Post, follows his decision to extend a two-week ceasefire, a move he claims was requested by Pakistan's leadership to give a "seriously fractured" Iranian government time to present a unified proposal.

When asked by The New York Post about the reported breakthrough, Trump responded in a text message: "It's possible! President DJT."

The report further cited sources from Pakistan in Islamabad, who told the publication that they were observing encouraging diplomatic outreach with Iran after Tehran cold-shouldered the second round of talks there, citing security concerns.

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