Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, who has worked for President Donald Trump since the start of the latter’s second term, posted and then deleted a statement claiming the Iran war has escalated to the point where the US escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Navy has yet to escort an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official tells me AFTER Trump’s energy secretary posted, then deleted, that naval assets had escorted an oil tanker through the contested waterway,” reported CNN’s Zachary Cohen.
He added that Wright later posted on X that “the U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.” He did not include additional details, and that post “was deleted a few minutes later.”
Wright’s oil tanker post reflects a larger environment of volatility regarding gas prices. On Tuesday oil prices wildly fluctuated due to conflicting reports from the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to global distribution of petroleum. Through the course of a single day U.S. crude oil has fallen more than 16% to below $77 per barrel, then risen to being valued at roughly $85 per barrel. It was within this context that Wright posted and then deleted his comment claiming to have escorted an oil tanker. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later claimed, "The U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time,” although she added that the offer remains available. Overall crude...
WANA (Mar 11) – Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in a message that the claim that Iran intended to attack the United States or American forces is a ...