U.S. official denies Wright's claim Navy escorted oil tanker through Strait of Hormuz

A U.S. official has denied Energy Secretary Chris Wright's claim in a now-deleted X post that the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

Wright initially stated that “President Trump is maintaining stability of global energy during the military operations against Iran. The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”

A U.S. official, however, told Politico that the claim was "not true." Wright's post is now longer up and neither the Department of Energy nor the Pentagon have commented on the matter.

President Donald Trump previously floated naval escorts as a way of encouraging hesitant tanker captains to make the voyage. The Strait of Hormuz is critical waterway through which much of the world's oil shipments typically flow.

Due to the war in Iran, however, major shipping firms, including Maersk and Cosco, have suspended cargo bookings while oil firms have stopped operations due to Iranian targeting of key infrastructure.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.