Confirmed, deleted and then clarified. After Donald Trump’s aide boastfully claimed that the US Navy had “successfully escorted” an oil tanker through the turbulent Strait of Hormuz, the post was quickly deleted.
The White House later clarified that the United States had not escorted any oil tankers through the key waterway, which remains the focus of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.Energy Secretary Chris Wright wrote in a now-deleted post on X, “The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the continued flow of oil to global markets.”
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The shift in rhetoric led to volatility in global markets, with oil prices falling sharply after Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s initial appointment. Prices later recovered some of the losses after Wright deleted the post on X just minutes after publishing it.
Meanwhile, the White House moved to correct that claim. “I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or ship at this time, although that is of course an option,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said at a news conference.The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also rejected the claim, saying that no US Navy ship had “dared” to approach the Strait of Hormuz, and called Wright’s statement “a complete lie.”A Department of Energy spokesperson told AFP that “a video was deleted from Secretary Wright’s official
According to data collected by the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Iranian authorities, at least 10 oil tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz were bombed, targeted, or reported attacks between March 1 and 10.
Volatile prices
Nearly a fifth of the world’s oil production passes through the strait. Tehran warned that none of it would be exported from the Gulf as the war continued.Since March 2, more than 20 commercial ships have crossed the strait, according to an Agence France-Presse analysis of Marine Traffic data that tracks shipping movement.Other ships passed with their transponders turned off to hide their location, sometimes reappearing on marine tracking devices only after safely leaving the area.Before the war, an average of 138 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day.The administration of US President Donald Trump has been trying to reassure global markets since the launch of the war, providing reinsurance to shipping companies and US Navy services to escort tankers.Crude oil prices fluctuated sharply amid fears of supply disruptions. On Monday, oil prices jumped by about 30 percent to about $120 a barrel before falling.Prices continued to fall after Trump’s comments on Monday suggested the war could soon be over, even as his defense secretary vowed the next day to carry out “the most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”The conflict has already seen strikes on oil depots in Iran and attacks on energy infrastructure in wealthy Gulf states, long considered safe havens in the turbulent Middle East.