White House Walks Back Chris Wright’s Claim of U.S. Oil Tanker Escort

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the U.S. has not escorted any oil tankers or vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, directly contradicting a statement from Energy Secretary Chris Wright just hours before.

“I was made aware of this post. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the energy secretary about it directly,” Leavitt said. “However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly, and I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time. Though, of course, that’s an option. The president has said he will absolutely utilize, if and when necessary, at the appropriate time.”

When asked if there would be any consequences for the false information in Wright’s social media post, Leavitt said, “I would defer you to the Department of Energy to answer that question.”

A Department of Energy Spokesperson said the post, which included a video clip, was deleted from Wright’s official X account after “it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff.”

“President Trump, Secretary Wright, and the rest of the President’s energy team are closely monitoring the situation, speaking with industry leaders, and having the U.S. military draw up additional options to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the potential for our Navy to escort tankers,” the spokesperson said.

In the deleted post on X, Wright wrote, “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.”

The statement is another example of the often-contradictory information the Trump administration has put out since the military operations against Iran began.

In remarks to lawmakers and reporters Monday, President Donald Trump called the conflict a “little excursion,” notably avoiding the word “war” despite describing it as such for more than a week.

He also said Monday that the administration’s objectives in Iran were “pretty well complete” — though he added that the conflict would continue for at least another week, if not longer.

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation was just beginning.

The administration has also given conflicting reasons for why it launched an attack on Iran. Hegseth has said it is not a regime-change war, though Trump has said he wants to see new leadership in the country and that he would be personally involved in selecting the next leader.

While Leavitt debunked Wright’s claim, she did say that U.S. escorts for oil tankers through the highly contested waterway remain an option.

“The commander in chief has offered the U.S. Navy to escort tankers when necessary,” Leavitt said. “The president and his energy team are closely watching the markets, speaking with industry leaders, and the U.S. military is drawing up additional options following the president’s directive to continue keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. I will not broadcast what those options look like, but just know the president is not afraid to use them.”