00:00President Trump is replacing the Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, effective immediately.
00:04The timing is interesting, given the very high-profile operations of the Navy right now,
00:09key to much of the war in Iran, and certainly the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. It's the
00:14lead military branch. The Pentagon says Undersecretary Hung Kao will serve as acting
00:18secretary. Reports suggest Phelan was shown the door after feuding with Secretary of War Pete
00:23Hegseth and some other Pentagon brass over President Trump's shipbuilding initiative.
00:28Now, Phelan came to his post with zero military background. He was the head of a massive private
00:33investment firm, one of the nation's top art collectors, and also a top GOP donor. He also
00:39appeared on a flight manifest for one trip on Jeffrey Epstein's private plane, for what that's
00:43worth. Meanwhile, the conflict he helped oversee remains at an impasse. The next round of talks
00:48between the U.S. and Iran could now come as soon as tomorrow. President Trump announced the ceasefire
00:54extension this week to give Iran time to come up with a unified peace proposal. But who the heck is
00:59actually in charge there? The country's leadership has been decimated in the last several weeks by U.S.-Israeli
01:06strikes, begging the question, who actually has the authority to make a deal? The answer might be Major
01:11General Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After Iran's previous
01:17leadership was killed, he and his very hardline inner circle seem to have taken control of Iran's
01:23negotiating team. And that's not good news. Vahidi represents Iran's most extreme faction that has
01:30sidelined moderates, including those leading the current negotiations with the U.S. Even if the U.S.
01:35were to secure a deal with Iran's delegation, that team might not have the actual pull at home as long
01:42as Vahidi and his allies are running the show. Which brings us back to the talks. Despite Vahidi's
01:47reputation, Pakistani mediators seem to be back-channeling with Iran and have said talks could
01:51get back on the schedule in the coming days. President Trump told The Post that could happen as soon as
01:56tomorrow.
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