Fact Check: Is US Navy ‘escorting’ oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz?

WASHINGTON, DC: The ongoing US-Iran conflict has had a significant and volatile impact on global oil prices. The key driver is disruptions to oil supply routes, particularly threats to or partial closures of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world's oil supply typically flows.

Following this, a rumor spread online claiming that the US Navy is 'escorting' oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: US Navy is 'escorting' oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz

A claim that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz was posted by the US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The claim appeared in an X post but was later deleted. 

In the now-deleted post, Wright wrote that the Navy had escorted a tanker through the key shipping route. The post read, "The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets." 

The US-Iran conflict started intensifying in late February/early March 2026, with US strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure, including oil-related sites, leading to Iranian retaliatory actions like attacks on tankers and threats to shipping.

This led to rapid spikes in oil prices due to fears of major supply disruptions. In early March, Brent crude surged 10-13 percent initially, and crossed $80/barrel for the first time since 2024 in some reports. 

By mid-March, prices hit highs around $100–$119+ per barrel, the highest in years, driven by Strait of Hormuz issues halting tanker traffic.

Following this, prices fluctuated sharply, along with some pullbacks as markets reassessed risks, contingency plans, and statements from US officials suggesting the conflict might resolve soon or that measures would mitigate long-term disruptions.

Fact Check: False, White House denies the claim

The claims made in the now-deleted X post are false, as the White House denied them. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the information provided on the social media post was incorrect and confirmed that no such escort had taken place.

Leavitt said during a news conference when she was asked about Wright’s post, "The US Navy has not escorted a tanker or vessel at this time."

Moreover, Leavitt said she had seen the post but had not yet spoken directly with Chris Wright about it. 

"I was made aware of this post. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the energy secretary about it directly," Leavitt said during the press conference, adding, "However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly."

Furthermore, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy said that the post was removed because it had been labeled incorrectly by Wright. 

"A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright’s official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson also said the administration is watching the situation closely and is preparing possible options to keep the shipping route open.