U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, not pictured, speak with the media after attending a meeting, marking the highest-level U.S. visit focused on energy policy to the OPEC nation in nearly three decades, as Washington conducts its first on-the-ground assessment of the oil industry it aims to help rebuild, in Caracas, Venezuela, February 11, 2026.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria | Reuters
The White House on Tuesday said that a since-deleted social media post by Energy Secretary Chris Wright claiming that the U.S. Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz was wrong.
“The U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or vessel at this time,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a news conference, where she was asked about Wright’s post on X.
The prices of U.S. crude oil and Brent crude each fell by more than 17% after that erroneous tweet, and stayed far below their earlier prices even after the White House said that Wright had been wrong.
“I was made aware of this post,” Leavitt said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to the Energy secretary about it directly.”
“However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly,” she said.
Wright had written, “The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of
Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Leavitt said that the Navy escorting tankers through the strait remains “an option” that President Donald Trump “has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the most significant chokepoint for oil shipments in the world.