when did energy secretary tweet that the u s navy was escorting ships through the strait of hormuz'

The Energy Secretary’s now-deleted post appeared on Tuesday, March 9, 2026 , and reports say it was posted at about 1:02 PM Eastern Time before being removed roughly 30 minutes later.

What happened

The post claimed the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, but the White House later said that was not true. The Energy Department then said the post was removed because it had been incorrectly captioned by staff.

Context

The claim briefly moved oil markets because the Strait of Hormuz is a major shipping route, so any escort or closure news gets attention fast. The most widely reported sequence is: post on March 9, deletion shortly after, and public clarification on March 10.