Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that high-stakes talks between the U.S. and Iran ended without a deal after Iranian officials refused to accept American terms.

Speaking during a press conference from the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, Vance said Iran has “chosen not to accept our terms.”

“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance said. “And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”

The vice president said talks with Iranian officials lasted 21 hours, describing them as “substantive discussions,” but adding the U.S. was unwilling to compromise on its “red lines.”

VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL ‘FIND OUT’ TRUMP IS ‘NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND’ IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

“So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on,” Vance added. “And we’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.”

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell asked Vance if he had been in contact with President Donald Trump during the talks, and the vice president said he had been “consistently.”

“I don’t know how many times we talked to him — a half dozen times, a dozen times over the past 21 hours,” Vance said, adding that the U.S. team was also communicating with other members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

GEN JACK KEANE ‘SKEPTICAL’ THAT IRAN CEASEFIRE WILL HOLD, WARNS TEHRAN WILL ‘DELAY AND OBFUSCATE’

Vice President JD Vance walks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)

“So, look, we were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire announced by Trump earlier this week and preventing a broader regional war.

Vance was joined by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as part of a senior delegation engaging Iranian officials in Islamabad.

TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. The White House said Vance would lead the U.S. delegation in upcoming peace talks with Iran and was in Hungary supporting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were negotiating for Iran. 

While Vance declined to elaborate on which terms Iran rejected, he said the U.S. sought assurances that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

“The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The talks came over a month after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Amazon Prime Video’s series “The Boys” returned for its fifth and final season, with showrunner Eric Kripke noting in an interview that the superhero show is heavily inspired by real life. 

He said it’s a “sinking feeling” to watch real-world events that go beyond his show’s satire.

“It’s not a great feeling. It’s a sinking feeling. It’s never great when the world out-crazies your superhero show with exploding penises,” Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter in an April 7 article, citing “internment camps” and the use of federal troops in cities.

He also criticized leadership, referring to the “clown in charge of the military” in comments about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

JIMMY KIMMEL SAYS TYRANNY RISING UNDER TRUMP, TAUNTS PRESIDENT OVER SHOW’S RETURN

An image from the trailer for Season 5 of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys,” which premiered on April 8. (Screenshot/Amazon Prime YouTube)

“The Boys” follows a group of vigilantes who take on corrupt superheroes who abuse their power and stardom. Kripke previously compared the show’s main villain, Homelander, to President Donald Trump.

CONTROVERSIAL ‘STAR TREK’ SPINOFF AXED AFTER RATINGS SUFFER AMID ‘WOKE’ FAN BACKLASH

Despite the sharp political commentary, Kripke maintained that the show’s “quarrel is not with people” but with those in charge. He noted that the writers included a “right-winger” character who is portrayed as a “good guy,” explaining that the show’s focus is on “leaders who are just really problematic.”

An image from the trailer for Season 5 of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys,” which premiered on April 8. (Screenshot/Amazon Prime YouTube)

JIMMY KIMMEL SPARKS BACKLASH WITH ‘TYRANNY’ JAB AT AMERICA IN UK CHRISTMAS SPEECH

The premiere opens with Homelander, draped in the American flag, speaking at a rally with nationalist imagery. As the crowd chants “USA,” the camera lingers on specific figures, including a pregnant woman and a man in a red hat, who viewers say resembles late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

During the rally, Homelander references “freedom camps” where citizens are imprisoned, uses phrases like “golden dawn” and labels rivals as terrorists.

Eric Kripke attended Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” Season 2 drive-in premiere and fan screening on Sept. 4, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kripke told Rolling Stone in 2022 that Homelander has “always been a Trump analogue.” In 2024, Amazon Prime Video added a disclaimer to the Season 4 finale, originally titled “Assassination Run,” following the attempted assassination of Trump.

While the show remains a hit for Amazon, many fans claim the writing has become too overt. One user wrote on X, getting nearly 2 million views: “The Boys is another example of the Hollywood left trying to villainize the right and make them look awful.” A second user wrote that the first 20 minutes of the season included “every liberal buzzword.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Amazon for comment. 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says the U.S. has won the Iran war and is claiming that there is a “new regime” in place in Tehran.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would agree to a “double-sided” ceasefire with Iran that will see him hold off from further attacks for two weeks in exchange for Tehran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made the announcement on social media less than two hours before his deadline for what he threatened would be the destruction of Iran’s “civilization.” He said it came after conversations with Pakistani mediators who had been pursuing an end to the war.

Iran’s airforce and missile system has been destroyed, Hegseth said Wednesday, less than a week after Iran shot down a U.S. fighter jet.

“We were locked and loaded. They couldn’t defend against it,” Hegseth said.

While Iran may “shoot here and there” but they can “no longer build missiles,” Hegseth said.

“They can still shoot, we know that” he said.

In a social media post on Wednesday morning, Trump said the U.S. had determined that Iran had “gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!”

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.

Hegseth also said a “new regime” was in place in Iran.

On Feb. 28, the first day of the war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes. He was promptly replaced by his son Mojtaba Khamenei. U.S. and Israeli strikes also targeted and killed several other top Iranian officials.

“This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal,” Hegseth said.

Tuesday’s ceasefire deal also included an agreement on nuclear material, Hegseth said.

“Under the terms, any nuclear material they should not have will be removed,” he said, without elaborating further.

However, Trump said there would be “no enrichment of uranium” and “the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear ‘Dust.’”

The U.S. will also discuss sanctions and tariff relief with Iran, Trump said.

However, he added that any nation selling weapons to Iran “will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately.”

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, said Trump had laid out three objectives – destroy ballistic missile capability, destroy the Iranian navy and destroy their defence industrial capacity.

The U.S. military had achieved these objectives, he said.

EU and NATO leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, issued a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for “quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement.”

“The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means,” the joint statement said.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

By MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR and DAN WOODLAND, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:08 EDT, 7 April 2026 | Updated: 13:54 EDT, 7 April 2026

The only Royal Navy warship deployed in the conflict with Iran has ported due to maintenance issues, the Daily Mail can reveal.

In the latest saga involving HMS Dragon, the Type 45 destroyer that was sent to the warzone weeks after the fighting began is having to pull out.

The Daily Mail learned late last week that the warship was suffering issues with its water supplies affecting provisions to its sailors. The Ministry of Defence denied the claims but today admitted that HMS has sailed to a safe berth to undergo repairs.

The stop will include attending to what officials described as ‘a minor technical issue with onboard water systems’.

Defence sources insisted the crew have had access to water and catering and that a logistics stop at ‘approximately this point in her deployment’ had been planned in advance.

HMS Dragon had been despatched to protect Britain’s air bases in Cyprus, including RAF Akrotiri which was hit by a drone thought to be launched by Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon on March 2.

A day after the attack, Keir Starmer announced the deployment of HMS Dragon – but it was a further week until the vessel left Portsmouth after a scramble to get it ready. 

Sir Keir has faced significant backlash for the country’s lack of preparedness for war amid the escalating conflict with  US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth having repeatedly mocked the Royal Navy. 

President Trump has described the UK’s aircraft carriers as ‘toys’ while Hegseth talked about the failure of the ‘Big Bad Royal Navy’ to enter the Strait of Hormuz.

The HMS Dragon (pictured on March 4) which is currently deployed in the conflict with Iran has ported due to maintenance issues

Keir Starmer (pictured) has faced repeated jibes from US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the state of the country’s Royal Navy 

While in port HMS Dragon’s weapons and other systems will be ‘further optimised’ allowing for what officials described as ‘greater flexibility for future deployments in the region’.

The precise location of HMS Dragon has not been disclosed for security reasons.

Today the Ministry of Defence said: ‘HMS Dragon is undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean allowing the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems and conduct maintenance.

‘HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness during the period, able to sail at short notice if required.

‘The UK continues to maintain a robust and layered defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean working in coordination with allies. This includes Typhoon and F-35 jets, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters and advanced counter-drone and air defence systems.’

The Government faced backlash for its delay in getting HMS Dragon to set sail to the Gulf amid the escalating conflict as it did not have a single major warship in the region when the Iran war broke out on February 28.

It was further criticised when vessels from other European countries – including France and Greece – arrived in the Mediterranean within days of Iran launching retaliatory attacks across the Gulf. 

Donald Trump has given Tehran until 1am on Wednesday UK time to end its blockade of the strait or face obliteration

Elsewhere, the UK has urged Trump to step back from his threat to wipe out ‘a whole civilisation’ as his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer. 

The US President has given Tehran until 1am on Wednesday UK time to end its blockade of the strait or face obliteration.

Downing Street again said the UK’s focus was on ‘de-escalation’ and a ‘negotiated settlement’ for the region, but Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric and the US-Israeli bombing campaign continued.

Writing on his Truth Social platform he said: ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’

But Trump, who has previously extended his deadline for action, said the ‘complete and total regime change’ in Iran had resulted in a situation where ‘different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail’.

He said: ‘Maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.’

Trump has said the US will destroy Iran’s bridges and power stations, saying he was ‘not at all’ concerned that attacks on civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime.

Asked whether the UK believed such attacks would breach international law, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I’m not going to comment on give a running commentary on our allies’ operations.’

The “daring” U.S. military rescue of a “seriously wounded” airman is being hailed as an American success story, as President Donald Trump announced “we got him!” and detailed the “AMAZING show of bravery and talent,” turning a potential American setback into a show of might.

Details about the rescue are trickling in, including senior administration officials telling Fox News how the CIA deflected enemy attention with a “deception campaign.”

The CIA spread word in Iran through multiple sources that U.S. forces had already found the second of two airmen who ejected from their F-15, and were moving him out of Iran in a maritime exfiltration elsewhere, sources told Fox News, but that was designed to buy time to find the stranded weapons system officer.

The CIA picked up a distress signal, passing the intelligence on to the Pentagon and White House, which ordered the immediate rescue mission, according to sources.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ON THE CUSP OF A HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT

A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle was downed behind enemy lines in Iran, forcing the pilot and weapons systems officer to eject and be rescued in daring special operations. (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto)

There was initial fear the “beacon signal” was an Iranian “trap,” sources said.

“There was a lot at stake here,” the source said.

Once the CIA confirmed Saturday morning that this was not a trap, the missing airman was located using advanced technical capabilities.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe informed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan “Raizin'” Caine and, ultimately, Trump.

“Within eight hours, we had planes in motion,” the source said. “Within almost 12 hours we were on the ground in Iran.

TRUMP TELLS ‘STRANGE’ IRANIAN NEGOTIATORS TO ‘GET SERIOUS SOON’ OR ‘IT WON’T BE PRETTY’

“We’ve seen before what they do with prisoners. We were going to expend every effort to make sure we got to him first.”

The U.S. used MQ9 Reaper drones to protect the area around where the airman was hiding and fired on anything that came close to that area and any area where U.S. forces were operating to prevent crowds or any Iranians from approaching, sources confirmed to Fox News.

“We executed multiple large-scale strikes in the surrounding area using every tactical jet in the U.S. inventory and B-1 Bombers to keep him safe,” according to a senior U.S. official.

Trump saluted the complex operation to exfiltrate the “highly respected colonel.”

“We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran,” Trump wrote Sunday morning on Truth Social, announcing an Oval Office news conference set for 1 p.m. ET Monday. “The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close.”

MORNING GLORY: WHAT WILL DONALD TRUMP’S LEGACY BE AS A WARTIME PRESIDENT?

“This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to ‘man and equipment.’ It just doesn’t happen!” Trump said. “The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!”

One night earlier, Trump hailed “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History.”

“My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” Trump wrote Saturday night on Truth Social.

“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue,” he said.

The injured airman was the second of two crew members from the warplane Iran claimed it had brought down with its air defenses on Friday.

Several aircraft were destroyed during the U.S. rescue mission, Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards claimed Sunday according to the Tasnim news agency. An Iranian military spokesperson said a C-130 military transport plane and two Black Hawk helicopters were among the downed craft.

TRUMP ORDERS WAR DEPT TO POSTPONE STRIKES ON IRANIAN ENERGY SITES, CITING ‘PRODUCTIVE’ TALKS TO END WAR

A U.S. F-15 fighter jet reportedly went down over the Khuzestan province in Iran on April 3, 2026. (EarthStar Geographics)

Israeli intelligence had assisted the CIA in determining the location of the missing WSO and removing doubt about an Iranian “trap,” halting its attacks in the area to facilitate the mission, an Israeli security official told Reuters.

“All Israelis rejoice in the incredible rescue of a brave American pilot by America’s dauntless warriors,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement Sunday morning. “This proves that when free societies muster their courage and their resolve, they can confront seemingly insurmountable odds and overcome the forces of darkness and terror.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The weekend rescue left Trump resolute in swift and decisive victory amid a 10-day deadline to reopen the Hormuz Strait to oil tankers, issuing a stunning expletive-laced warning Sunday morning.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There will be nothing like it!!!

“Open the F–in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” he added.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, Trey Yingst and Reuters contributed to this report.

Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson criticized War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday over the decision to shake up leadership amid the ongoing military operation in Iran.

Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement on Thursday.  A senior War Department official told Fox News that Hegseth called George and asked for his immediate retirement, saying, “It was time for a leadership change in the Army.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Gen. David Hodne, who led the U.S. Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Maj. Gen. William Green, the head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps, were also ousted, according to Reuters.

The former New York Yankees star was critical of the moves.

“What’s happening with our Sec of Defense. How do we get rid of all that experience at this time? Help me I don’t get it. Getting rid of The Chaplin (sic) leader?” Jackson wrote on X.

KNICKS BROADCASTER’S JOKE COMPARING BULLS’ ‘OBLITERATED’ DEFENSE TO IRAN LEAVES PARTNER STUNNED

New York Yankees special advisor Reggie Jackson bats during practice before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 25, 2018. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

“What? We’ve got a war going on and we’re getting rid of most of our experience and knowledge built with uniform time.”

War Department chief spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed George’s move in a post on X.

“General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” he wrote. “The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”

Hegseth announced last month changes to military “faith codes” as he began to overhaul the Pentagon Chaplain corps. He vowed that more changes would be coming.

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s top aide Ricky Buria told colleagues last year that he and his boss donned disguises and went out drinking together — a juicy bit of gossip that’s widely believed to be a lie and recklessly planted to sniff out leakers, The Post has learned.

Two sources said that Buria, 44, told them separately in early 2025 that he and Hegseth, 45, slipped past the secretary’s security detail while he was staying at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pentagon City.

There’s no proof that the great escape actually happened, but the tale has reverberated within the administration and stoked continued frustration with Buria’s powerful role leading US military policy.

Many people close to or inside the Trump administration say they believe Buria, a Biden administration holdover who formed a fast friendship with Hegseth, was ham-handedly attempting to catch leakers — but put the secretary at risk of scandal in the meantime.

Both sources who heard the story directly from Buria question the Pentagon chief of staff’s judgment and motives for spreading such a potentially destructive story, which they said was told often enough that busting a media source would be difficult.

Hegseth had publicly vowed ahead of his January Senate confirmation not to drink “a drop of alcohol” to guarantee the nation would have “fully dialed-in Pete” in times of crisis, following reports alleging drunken misbehavior in the recent past.

The Post’s first source said he was shocked when Buria told him the tale inside a Pentagon office in late March or April.

“My first impression of it was he was trying to figure out if I was going to tell other people. But then I come to find out a couple months later that he was running around telling people,” the source said.

“It was a weird way of him bragging. It was clearly part of this whole bizarre effort to make it seem like he was Pete’s best friend and confidant.”

“I was talking to [a different Pentagon official] and I said, ‘This is f–king crazy. Ricky is telling people he put on disguises and went out drinking with the secretary,’” the first source recalled.

“[The other official] said, ‘Yeah he was telling a lot of people this.’”

The source did not recall Buria, who rose swiftly from his initial role as a junior military aide to Hegseth’s right-hand man, specifying the disguise worn or the bar the men purportedly visited. The other official with whom the source recalled conversing would not make himself available for an interview.

“This did not happen. But nonetheless, he told people it happened,” the first source said.

“It didn’t happen because the secretary has a security detail. He told this story as a way to try and make it seem like he was really close to Hegseth and possibly had leverage over him.”

Several additional sources familiar with Buria, including one aware of the tale, suspect that he was attempting to trap leakers after persistently stirring drama within the department — though, notably, no outlet has been naive enough to publish the wild claims.

The second Trump administration, in particular the White House, has been more disciplined about discouraging leaks and punishing those responsible, though allegations of gabbing without authorization are often incredibly difficult to prove due to the widespread use of encrypted apps.

Buria’s rise coincided with his deepening friendship with both Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, as many of the defense secretary’s longtime associates were forced out of their roles for alleged leaks, for which many were later exonerated.

“Ricky occupies one of the most important positions in the Department of War. He is responsible not just for helping run the secretary’s front office but for driving coordination of critical activities across the department and the rest of the administration,” the first source said.

“Behavior like this only creates distractions for the department as it tries to execute multiple no-fail military operations. From day one, both as a military aide and then as a chief of staff, Ricky has consistently heightened the level of drama, paranoia and infighting in the secretary’s office.”

While the first source believes Buria lied in a manipulative ploy to inflate his standing, a second source said he initially took the drinking story at face value.

The topic emerged during an April flight when Buria revealed nearly three bottles of Macallan whisky had been consumed on the trip, without saying by whom.

“Ricky then proceeds to say, ‘I protect him, don’t worry’,” insinuating Hegseth partook, before launching into his account of the purported Ritz-Carlton caper.

“He made a mention that when [Hegseth] was staying at the Ritz before [his DC] house was ready but then also once in Tennessee that ‘a hat and sunglasses,’ or something to that effect, basically is all you need to be able to sneak out and that it was kind of amazing that nobody recognized them,” the source said.

“[Buria] said, ‘Yeah, hey look, I’m just there to make sure he’s protected and he doesn’t get in any sort of trouble and people don’t recognize him. But yeah, we have to sneak out.’”

The second source said that he and another official who heard the story aboard the plane were outraged and lashed out at Buria, questioning why he would claim to abet a violation of Hegseth’s no-alcohol pledge.

“Ricky’s immediate response there was he was just f–king around. It was only because the temperature was turning up,” this source said.

The other man said to be party to that conversation denied remembering the episode through an intermediary contacted by The Post and did not directly respond to requests for an interview.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told The Post: “This is false, and the Department is not going to entertain Washington gossip while we are focused on major military operations abroad.”

Buria is a rare Biden administration holdover who openly dreamed of a political future as a Democrat in Florida before making a rare and rapid leap from his uniformed role to acting as Hegseth’s de facto chief of staff last year.

Fellow Pentagon aides heard Buria disparage President Trump’s use of the military along the southern border and said he called Vice President JD Vance a “crazy” isolationist, The Post reported last year.

The New York Times reported last week that Buria last summer had a “heated exchange” with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a friend and former law school classmate of Vance’s, over Driscoll’s selection of Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant for a promotion to command of the Military District of Washington.

Buria told Driscoll that Trump would not want to stand next to a black woman at events, the Times reported, drawing an outraged response from the Army chief, who told Buria “the president is not a racist or sexist.” Driscoll elevated the dispute to the White House, and Gant got the promotion.

The White House last year blocked Buria from officially becoming Hegseth’s chief of staff due to concerns about his ideological alignment with the administration. Trump ultimately relented to Hegseth, who insisted Buria was essential, and allowed his formal elevation as chief of staff in December.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly removed multiple officers from a military promotion list — a decision that diverges from standard practice and is now under review at the White House, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital.

The list included candidates for dozens of senior roles, but four were removed after they had been approved by a promotions board. 

The U.S. official said the officers were not under investigation and were not facing misconduct allegations, and that no formal explanation for the decision was provided to military leadership.

PETE HEGSETH TOUTS HIGHER PHYSICAL STANDARDS FOR MILITARY, SAYS ‘SO BE IT’ IF IT EXCLUDES WOMEN

Fox News Digital has learned that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll initially declined to remove the officers from the promotion list before Hegseth ultimately intervened to strike their names. The disagreement caught the attention of the White House, an official said, which reviews the revised promotion list before it is sent to the Senate. 

War Secretary Pete Hegseth removed multiple officers from a military promotion list, a decision that diverges from standard practice and is now under review at the White House, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Initial New York Times reporting and congressional criticism have focused in part on claims that some of the officers removed were women and minorities, prompting military officials to question whether they were singled out on account of race or gender — an assertion Pentagon officials have strongly disputed.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in response: “This story, like many others at the failing New York Times is full of fake news from anonymous sources who have no idea what they’re talking about and are far removed from actual decision-makers within the Pentagon.”

“Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” he went on. “Meritocracy, which reigns in this department, is apolitical and unbiased.” 

Pentagon chief of staff Ricky Buria added: “This is completely false. Whoever placed this made up story is clearly trying to sow division among our ranks and within the department and the administration. It’s not going to work, and it never will work when this department is led by clear-eyed, mission driven leaders unfazed by Washington gossip.”

The Pentagon has not publicly detailed the specific rationale behind the reported removals.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll initially declined to remove the officers from the promotion list, before Hegseth ultimately intervened to strike their names, sources told Fox News Digital.  (Cheriss May/Getty Images )

The reported move has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where senior military promotions require Senate confirmation. Individual lawmakers can delay or block nominations through procedural holds.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that if the reports are accurate, removing officers after a promotion board already has selected them based on merit and performance would be “outrageous” and potentially unlawful.

Military promotions to senior ranks typically are vetted through formal boards and approved as a group, with limited intervention at the individual level.

According to multiple reports, one of the officers removed from the list served in a logistics role during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, while another had previously authored academic work examining why Black service members are more likely to serve in support roles.

The U.S. official said those explanations had not been formally communicated as justification for the decision.

The White House reviews promotion lists before they are sent to the Senate.  (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )

PETE HEGSETH SLASHES MILITARY ‘FAITH CODES’ FROM OVER 200 TO 31 IN PENTAGON CHAPLAIN CORPS OVERHAUL\

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: “Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have launched an unprecedented politicization of the military promotion process, most recently, reportedly blocking promotions for Black and female officers,” Wyden said.

Wyden on Wednesday placed holds on the promotions of Marine Lt. Col. Vincent Noble, Col. Thomas Siverts and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Thomas MacNeil, citing past wartime controversies and concerns about judgment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.