- US Energy Secretary Wright claimed US Navy escorted an oil tanker through Strait of Hormuz
- The White House denied any escort of tankers by the US Navy in the Strait of Hormuz
- Wright's post was deleted after it was found to be incorrectly captioned by Energy Department staff
Amid growing concerns over escalating conflict in the Middle East, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright posted a claim that the United States military escorted an oil tanker travelling through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure global energy supplies, adding to confusion in an already volatile oil market.
The post, deleted just minutes after publication, sparked a sell-off, with oil prices dropping sharply. This prompted the White House to step forward and confirm that there was no such escort.
The Deleted Post
AFP
"President Trump is maintaining stability of global energy during the military operations against Iran," Wright wrote in a post on X.
"The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets," he added.
The Fact Check
As the plunge in oil prices intensified after Wright's post, the White House said the United States has not escorted any oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz -- one of the world's most important energy routes, through which about 20 per cent of global oil and a large share of LNG shipments pass.
"I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that's an option," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards also said that no US Navy vessel has "dared" approach the Strait of Hormuz, calling Wright's claim a "pure falsehood."
An Energy Department spokesperson told news agency AFP that "a video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright's official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff."
At least 10 oil tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz were struck, targeted or reported attacks between March 1 and 10, according to data compiled by the UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and Iranian authorities.
Fluctuating Prices
The unusual episode comes amid a period of wild price swings in the global oil market as traders look for concrete evidence of efforts by the Trump administration to unblock millions of barrels of Middle East oil trapped inside the Persian Gulf.
Almost all commercial trade through Hormuz has halted after the Iran war began, with owners concerned about security. That stopped tankers from exiting the Gulf, filling storage and causing producers to cut output sharply.
With Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates all pumping millions of barrels less oil each day, the need to resume normal traffic through the waterway is pressing. But Tehran on Tuesday vowed that none would be exported from the Gulf while the war is ongoing.
Before the war, a daily average of 138 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump's administration has taken steps to try and reassure global markets since launching the war, offering reinsurance to shipping companies and the US Navy's services to escort tankers. But the crude prices have fluctuated sharply due to supply disruptions, jumping 30 per cent on Monday to nearly $120 per barrel before retreating.
They continued to fall after comments by Trump on Monday hinting that the war may end soon, even as his defence secretary vowed a day later to carry out the "most intense day of strikes inside Iran".
The war has seen strikes carried out on oil depots in Iran and attacks on energy infrastructure in wealthy Gulf countries, previously seen as safe havens in a turbulent Middle East.
