President Donald Trump has decided to tap America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to lower gas prices as military operations in Iran have created fear and speculation in the global oil market.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright released a statement Wednesday regarding the International Energy Agency and the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
“Earlier today, 32 member nations of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to President Trump’s request to lower energy prices with a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from their respective reserves,” Wright wrote.
“As part of this effort, President Trump authorized the Department of Energy to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning next week. This will take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates.”
Wright added, “President Trump promised to protect America’s energy security by managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve responsibly, and this action demonstrates his commitment to that promise.”
He then blasted former President Joe Biden for draining America’s oil reserves during his tenure, but promised that the same thing wouldn’t happen under Trump’s watch.
“The United States has arranged to more than replace these strategic reserves with approximately 200 million barrels within the next year — 20 percent more barrels than will be drawn down — and at no cost to the taxpayer,” he explained.
“For 47 years, Iran and its terrorist proxies have been intent on killing Americans,” Wright declared. “They have manipulated and threatened the energy security of America and its allies. Under President Trump, those days are coming to an end.
“Rest assured, America’s energy security is as strong as ever,” he concluded.
Trump already hinted that he was ready to make a move like this when he spoke with WKRC-TV while visiting Ohio Wednesday.
“I filled [the reserve] up once, and I’ll fill it up again, but right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down,” he said. “We have to get rid of the evil. There’s great evil taking place in Iran.”
The commander in chief added, “I think we’re doing, really, an amazing job, and we’re being given credit all over the world. Somebody had to do it.”
Trump and Wright both gave various statements Sunday after oil shot up to over $100 per barrel and briefly calmed the waters. The price of oil, however, rose again after Iranian attacks against the Strait of Hormuz.
Three oil tankers were set ablaze early Thursday morning, despite a warning from Trump that Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” if it did “anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz.”
About 20 million barrels per day, or 20-25 percent of global oil consumption, pass through the strait.
The president has also said that the conflict in Iran is nearly complete, given that there’s “practically nothing left to target.”
“Little this and that … Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
