US Didn’t Escort Tanker Through Hormuz, Refuting Wright Post

(Bloomberg) — The United States denied a previously deleted social media post by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, saying its navy was not escorting any oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I know the mission was lifted fairly quickly, and I can confirm that the U.S. Navy is not escorting a tanker or ship at this time, but of course that’s an option that the president has said he would certainly use if necessary,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.

Global oil prices extended their declines after Wright’s post on Energy Department representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The confusion over whether an escorted tanker had actually passed through the vital waterway comes at a time when the oil market is in a busy and volatile period. Prices rose on Monday on concerns about a lack of exports through the Strait of Hormuz, but fell sharply on Tuesday after President Donald Trump said the war in Iran would be resolved soon and weighed options to ease crude oil supplies, including the release of emergency stockpiles.

According to the post, which has since been deleted: “The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker across the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil continued to flow to global markets.”

The post included a video showing Wright at a recent event and saying, “A large oil tanker passed by about 36 hours ago. I think you’ll be seeing more of these.”

After the Iranian war began, almost all commercial trade through Hormuz stopped because ship owners were concerned about security. This prevented tankers from leaving the bay, filling warehouses and causing manufacturers to sharply cut production.

With Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates pumping millions of barrels less oil each day, the need to resume normal traffic through the waterway is urgent. Some tanker owners had previously stated that they would sail again if the convoy program was available.

(Updated with White House spokesman’s comments in second paragraph.)

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