Key Points
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s now-deleted social media post claimed Navy escort of oil tanker.
- U.S. officials denied the claim, saying it was “not true.”
- Crude prices tumbled below $80 a barrel before rebounding after the post was deleted.
- White House emphasizes military escort remains an option but has not occurred.
ISLAMABAD: A brief social media post by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright triggered a sharp, if temporary, shock in global oil markets Tuesday before being deleted, as the White House clarified that the U.S. Navy had not escorted any oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
The post, which appeared on Wright’s official account, claimed the Navy had “successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
It was accompanied by a video of Wright speaking in Colorado about a tanker passing the Strait, though he made no mention of military escorts during the remarks.
The announcement briefly pushed crude prices down below $80 a barrel, reversing gains that had pushed oil near $120 a barrel amid escalating strikes by Iran on oil tankers and production cuts in Iraq and Kuwait.
Once the post was deleted, prices climbed back upward, highlighting the volatile reaction of markets to statements from top U.S. officials.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the Navy had not escorted any vessels “at this time” but added that President Donald Trump “will absolutely utilize [escorts] if and when necessary.”
A U.S. official told POLITICO that Wright’s post was “not true.”
The Department of Energy said the post was deleted after it was “determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff,” but did not clarify who authored the original caption.
A DOE spokesperson emphasized that President Trump, Secretary Wright, and the administration continue to monitor the Strait of Hormuz situation closely, coordinating with industry leaders and drawing up military options to keep the waterway open, including potential naval escorts.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine indicated that military officials have not finalized any escort plans.
“If tasked to escort, we’ll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that, and then…come to the secretary and the president with both, what are the resources required, what is the command and control required, and what are the risks, and how do we mitigate those risks?” he said.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, seized on Wright’s post to accuse the U.S. of market manipulation, writing on X: “U.S. officials are posting fake news to manipulate markets. It won’t protect them from the inflationary tsunami they’ve imposed on Americans.”
The controversy underscores how sensitive global markets remain to statements from U.S. energy and defense officials, particularly as tensions with Iran continue and the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint for international oil shipments.
