First confirmed, then deleted, and now clarified... The US has changed its stance on escorting an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

News Topical, Digital Desk : First a post confirming it, then deleting it, and now a clarification. A Donald Trump aide boasted that the US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, only to have the post quickly deleted.

The White House later clarified that the US had not escorted any oil tankers through the particular waterway, which has become the centre of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

“The US Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to maintain the flow of oil to the global market,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright wrote in a now-deleted post on X.

Global market fluctuations

Global markets are fluctuating as this story unfolds. Oil prices fell sharply after Energy Secretary Chris Wright's initial post. Prices later recovered some of their losses after Wright deleted the post on Instagram minutes after publishing it.

Meanwhile, the White House attempted to correct the claim. "I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted any tankers or ships at this time, although that remains an option," White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said at a briefing.

Iran also rejected the claim.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards also rejected the claim, saying no US Navy ship had dared to approach the Strait of Hormuz and calling Wright's statement a "complete lie." Tehran has warned that it will not export any of its goods through the Gulf as long as the war continues.

"A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright's Official X account after it was discovered that Department of Energy staff had incorrectly captioned it," an Energy Department spokesperson told AFP.

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