The White House said the United States did not take the oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting a now-deleted social media post by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
At a news conference on Tuesday (March 10), White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed claims that the US Navy escorted the vessel through the strategic waterway.
“The president and his energy team are watching the markets closely, talking to industry leaders, and the US military is preparing other options to protect trade across the strait,” Leavitt said, declining to specify what those options might be.
Her comments came after Wright posted — and later deleted — a message on X that said the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran denies the claim
Iranian officials have also denied the claims. A spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said no US ships had escorted vessels through the area since the war began.
US forces would not approach the area, according to the spokesman.
“Since the beginning of the war, no American ship has dared to approach the waterway, the Gulf of Oman or the Persian Gulf,” the spokesman said.
The Revolutionary Guards added in a statement that US vessels would be *”stopped”* if they attempted to pass through the strait.
The deleted post sparked controversy
In his now-deleted report, Wright said the US Navy acted to ensure the stability of global energy supplies.
The Navy acted “to ensure that oil continues to flow to global markets,” Wright wrote, without elaborating.
This claim was quickly disputed and later contradicted by the White House.
Trump’s earlier escort plan
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced plans for a naval escort for commercial vessels transiting the Persian Gulf.
He also said the United States would provide insurance and guarantees for ships using the route *”at a very reasonable cost”.*
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical oil transit hubs and a large proportion of global oil shipments pass through it.
Iran accuses the US of market manipulation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused US officials of spreading disinformation to influence markets.
“Putting out fake news to manipulate the markets will not protect them from the inflationary tsunami they have inflicted on the American people,” Araghchi wrote on X.
