White House Says U.S. Navy Has Not Escorted Oil Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
Riyadh, March 10, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — The White House said Tuesday that the United States Navy has not escorted any oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, despite a social media post suggesting such an operation had taken place.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that no naval escort had occurred.
“I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time,” she said during a briefing, adding that such an operation remains an option if necessary.
The clarification came after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright posted on X that the Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure global oil supplies continued to flow. The message was deleted minutes later.
A source familiar with the matter earlier told CNN that no escort operation had taken place.
During a separate briefing Tuesday, Dan Caine said the U.S. military would consider a range of options if tasked with escorting commercial vessels through the waterway.
The idea of naval escorts was first raised last week by Donald Trump, who later said he hoped such measures would not be necessary.
Oil markets reacted to the earlier social media post. U.S. crude prices, which were trading above $84 per barrel, dropped to $76.73 shortly after the post before rebounding to around $84.70 later in the day.
