U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, not pictured, speak with the media after attending a meeting, marking the highest-level U.S. visit focused on energy policy to the OPEC nation in nearly three decades, as Washington conducts its first on-the-ground assessment of the oil industry it aims to help rebuild, in Caracas, Venezuela, February 11, 2026.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria | Reuters
“I was made aware of this post,” Leavitt said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to the Energy secretary about it directly.”
“However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly,” she said.
Wright had written, “The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Leavitt said that the Navy escorting tankers through the strait remains “an option” that President Donald Trump “has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the most significant chokepoint for oil shipments in the world.
An Energy Department spokesperson, in a statement later Tuesday, said, “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.”
“President Trump, Secretary Wright, and the rest of the President’s energy team are closely monitoring the situation, speaking with industry leaders, and having the U.S. military draw up additional options to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, including the potential for our Navy to escort tankers,” the spokesperson said.
