A day after former Navy Secretary John Phelan was dismissed, President Donald Trump revealed he had given the Navy a major set of new orders.
The White House officially announced Wednesday that Phelan was leaving his post, butFox Newsreported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had fired Phelan.
It was unclear if there was any connection between Phelan’s departure and Trump’s Thursday post, in which he said he issued an order that could lead to the Navy firing on Iranian vessels.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted onTruth Social.
“There is to be no hesitation,” Trump wrote.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” Trump added.
“Iran’s decades-long bluff—built on terror proxies, nuclear brinkmanship, and Western appeasement—collapsed the moment it faced direct force and a changed geopolitical landscape.”https://t.co/y6wg9UcndG
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec)April 23, 2026
A report inThe New York Timessaid Phelan clashed repeatedly with Hegseth and Deputy Secretary of War Stephen Feinberg, citing sources it did not name. The report noted that Phelan had little to do with deployments and was more focused on building ships for the future of the Navy.
The outlet said Feinberg was unhappy with Phelan’s shipbuilding efforts. The report also said Phelan clashed with Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao.
Source: VidNews » Feed
