Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was abruptly pulled from a Sky News interview and summoned to the White House on Thursday.
Bessent was speaking with Wilfred Frost of Sky News when an aide interrupted at 10:22 am to tell the secretary that President Donald Trump “wants you right away” in the White House Situation Room.
Bessent then left the interview for over an hour:
Watch the moment a call from the White House situation room interrupts U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent’s interview with Sky’s @WilfredFrost ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4XNNvRuHJX
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 12, 2026
He returned at 12:07 pm, at which time Frost enquired as to what the interruption had been about.
“Mr. Secretary, I have to say it’s a first – and I’m sure a last as well – that an interviewee’s been pulled away to go to the Situation Room,” Frost said. “How is the president? Was he stressed?”
“Uh, no, the, the, the president is in great spirits,” Bessent replied. “Uh, the Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule.”
He then told a story about his teenager.
“You know, I have to tell you, Wil, that I’ve a teenager who’s considering military service,” the secretary said. “And [if] I could give this team my highest compliment from President Trump, to the head of the Joint Chiefs, to the Secretary of War, I would [say] that I would trust my child’s life in their hands.”
Later in the interview, Bessent was asked if U.S. Navy ships would be escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz now that Iran has claimed to have shut down the Strait.
Oil prices have reached the $120 mark. The Strait of Hormuz remains under the full control of Iran’s Armed Forces. Except for tankers from friendly countries, Iran has not allowed—and will not allow—any tankers linked to the United States, Europe, or the Israeli regime to pass.
— Iran Military Monitor ☫ (@IRIran_Military) March 9, 2026
“That was always in our planning, that there’s the chance that the U.S. Navy or perhaps an international coalition will be escorting oil tankers through,” the secretary replied, according to CNBC.
“My belief, that as soon as it is militarily possible, the U.S. Navy and perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through,” he added.
The problem was that earlier that very day, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC something entirely different.
“It’ll happen relatively soon but it can’t happen now,” he insisted. “We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”
Speaking at a March 11 webinar hosted by the Middle East Institute, retired Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie stressed that before the U.S. can escort tankers, they have to effectively prepare the battle space.
“What you want to do is you want to set the conditions, if you send a warship up there, where you can ensure the Iranians are not able to mass effectively against you,” he said, as reported by S&P Global.
S&P notes that the preparation would involve “degrading Iran’s fleet of fast-attack craft, ensuring the area is not vulnerable to land-based cruise missiles, eliminating Iran’s submarines, and getting a good picture of any mines in the strait”
McKenzie added that the ships most vulnerable to mine attacks are warships, not tankers.
“A tanker can hit a bit of mine and they’ll feel a bump up on the bridge, but it’s not going to sink it,” he said. “A 7,000- or 10,000-foot warship hits a mine, you’re going to have human casualties, and you’re going to have flooding, you have significant problems.”
The president for his part said on Wednesday to Gray Media that he believes major oil company CEOs should send their tankers through the Strait, regardless of the current massive risks.
“Are you talking to CEOs of various oil companies encouraging them to use the Strait of Hormuz?” he was asked by Gray Media correspondent Jon Decker.
“They should,” the president replied. “I think they should. I think they should use gas industry. I mean, look, we took out just about all of their mine ships in one night. We’re up to boat number 60. I didn’t realize that that big a navy, I would say, was big and ineffective. But every one of the ships, just about all of their navy is gone.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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