Trump administration officials 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.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a briefing that the Navy has not escorted any vessels "at this time" but it remains an option that President Donald Trump "will absolutely utilize if and when necessary."
A U.S. official told POLITICO before Leavitt's press briefing that Wright's post was "not true." Crude prices tumbled below $80 a barrel on Wright's announcement before jumping again after it was deleted.
Leavitt noted that the post was "taken down pretty quickly" but referred further questions to the Energy Department.
DOE did not respond to multiple requests for comment on why the post was made or who posted it.
“President Trump is maintaining stability of global energy during the military operations against Iran,” Wright said in the now-deleted post, which appeared briefly on his official account. “The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Oil prices, which had been falling after President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S.-Israel war with Iran is "very complete," dropped further 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.
Iran has continued to threaten vessels passing through the strait, and U.S. intelligence has assessed it is taking steps to place mines in the waterway, CBS News reported Tuesday.
One vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Maria, passed through the Strait of Hormuz from West to East on Tuesday, commodities research firm Kpler told POLITICO.
The U.S. announced plans to escort tankers through the Strait 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.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine also indicated in a Tuesday morning briefing that military officials had yet to finalize plans for the escorts.
“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, like we always do with every potential mission, 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?” Caine said.
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