Trump Officials’ Mixed Iran Messages Prompt More Volatility

Smoke rises following an airstrike in Tehran on March 10. — Smoke rises following an airstrike in Tehran on March 10.
Photographer: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty Images

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By Hadriana Lowenkron and Jennifer A Dlouhy

March 10, 2026 at 4:22 PM UTC

Updated on

March 11, 2026 at 1:11 AM UTC

Energy markets whipsawed for a second consecutive day as investors raced to interpret rapidly shifting comments from the Trump administration over the war in Iran.

Oil prices plummeted after Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.