Markets were briefly rattled after Chris Wright posted and then deleted a message claiming the United States Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Wright initially wrote that the US Navy had successfully escorted a tanker through the strait to keep oil flowing to global markets. The message was deleted minutes later, creating confusion among traders and pushing oil prices higher.
A US official later told Reuters that the military had not escorted any vessels through the passage.
During the turmoil, Brent crude fell to $82.06 a barrel before rebounding to about $85.85 after the post was removed.
Energy markets have been highly volatile since the conflict involving Iran escalated. Oil prices briefly approached $120 a barrel before dropping back to around $89 after Donald Trump suggested the war could soon end.
Despite the pullback, crude remains well above the roughly $72 level seen before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Trump has also floated the idea of providing naval escorts and backstop insurance for tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise global oil flows. The waterway — which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports — has effectively been closed to tankers since the conflict began, creating major disruption in energy markets.
Speaking to reporters, Karoline Leavitt said the US military was “drawing up additional options” to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
She added that Trump had offered naval escorts for tankers “when necessary”.
The strait has effectively been closed to tanker traffic since the conflict involving Iran escalated, causing major disruption in global oil markets. Around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports pass through the narrow shipping route along Iran’s southern coastline.
