A U.S. official denied a claim from Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a now-deleted social media post Tuesday that the U.S. Navy escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
Wright’s post, which has since been deleted, did not provide details about the tanker or where it was headed. DOE and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to emailed questions.
“President Trump is maintaining stability of global energy during the military operations against Iran,” Wright said in the now-deleted post. “The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
The U.S. official said Wright’s post was “not true.”
Oil prices, which had been falling after President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S.-Israel war with Iran is “very complete,” dropped below $80 a barrel on Wright’s announcement. Prices had risen to nearly $120 late Sunday after Iran started striking oil tankers traversing the Hormuz and Iraq and Kuwait started shutting in oil production.
The U.S. announced plans to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz last week, though it had not provided details or a timeline for the effort. Administration officials, including Wright, had indicated that military assets were tied up at the time taking out Iran’s offensive capabilities.
President Donald Trump said Monday that the Navy was prepared to launch the escorts, but he did not expect them to be necessary.
Paul McLeary contributed to this report.