A significant contradiction has been observed between the Trump administration’s diplomatic and military strategies after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright deleted his viral post on social media claiming that the US Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the volatile Strait of Hormuz.
The White House and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) later refuted the viral post. The “Operation Epic Fury” conflict is entering its second week, and every announcement from the strategic Strait of Hormuz is causing global energy markets to fluctuate.
The deleted post: A ‘successful escort’ claim
On Tuesday, March 10, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright shared a video clip on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the US Navy had completed a successful escort mission through the volatile Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary Wright wrote, “President Trump is maintaining global energy stability during the military operations against Iran.” The US Navy has successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil is flowing to the global market.”
This announcement caused an immediate fall of 17% in oil prices as investors saw this as a breakthrough in the blockade. The post was removed within minutes. The spokesperson of the Department of Energy, Ben Dietderich, later clarified this, saying, “The video was removed because it was incorrectly captioned by Department staff. We are simply monitoring the situation.
White House & Pentagon issue denials
The White House was quick to deny this statement made by the Secretary. The Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, made this announcement during a press briefing. “I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course, that is an option,” Leavitt said during the briefing. The US official also confirmed this saying, “While we are drawing up additional options, there have been no commercial ships escorted by US warships since the strikes began on Feb. 28.
Iran responds: ‘A complete lie’
Tehran was quick to capitalise on this confusion within the US Alimohammad Naini, a spokesperson for the IRGC, called this claim made by Wright “a complete lie” and “a fabrication.”
“Any movement of the US fleet and its allies will be stopped by our missiles and drones,” Naini said in a statement carried by state media.
He further claimed that “no American warship has dared to approach” the Strait since the escalation began, which further supports Iran’s threat against any ship trying to pass through their maritime blockade.
Trump threatens ‘the end of Iran’
The controversy began just 24 hours after President Donald Trump issued his sternest warning yet to the Iranian government. Speaking from Florida, the President issued the stern warning, claiming that if Iran attempts to “try anything cute” or block the flow of oil, the US will strike back “20 times harder” than the last round of attacks.”
“The Strait of Hormuz is open now,” Trump said, despite reports of the total shutdown of oil and gas activity in the area. He further claimed he’s “thinking about taking it over” and making sure the flow of oil continues, stating that if Iran continues to hinder the flow of oil, “it’s going to be the end of that country.”
The global stakes
The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, remains the most important oil passage in the world, transporting 20% of the globe’s oil and almost 25% of the globe’s LNG.
Since the joint US-Israeli strikes of February 28, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the waterway has effectively been shut down, causing regional producers to cease pumping due to capacity limits in storage facilities.
