U.S. to Release 172 Million Barrels From Strategic Petroleum Reserve as Oil Prices Surge Amid Iran Conflict

Trump administration joins historic International Energy Agency effort to stabilize global markets after attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz send crude toward $100 per barrel.

WASHINGTON | The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the United States will release 172 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to curb surging energy prices triggered by escalating tensions with Iran and disruptions to global oil shipping routes.

The move represents one of the largest emergency releases in the history of the reserve and comes as global energy markets face mounting uncertainty following Iranian attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

The United States’ action will be part of a coordinated effort by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and its 31 partner nations to collectively release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, the largest coordinated release since the organization’s founding.

Trump: “We’ll Bring Prices Down”

President Donald Trump confirmed the decision during an interview on Wednesday, framing the move as a temporary measure designed to stabilize global markets.

“We’ll do that, and then we’ll fill it up,” Trump said. “Right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”

Without Providing Evidence, Trump Pins School Bombing on Iran

Satellite imagery, missile analysis, and preliminary U.S. assessments challenge the president’s claim that Iran carried out the attack during Operation Epic Fury.

Multiple news outlets have reported that video, satellite images, and expert analysis indicate that the United States was likely responsible for the Feb. 28 bombing of an Iranian school for young girls, contradicting President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that the deadly strike “was done by Iran.”

When a reporter aboard Air Force One asked Trump on March 7 if the U.S. had bombed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school, the president said, “No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.” He continued: “We think it was done by Iran, because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”