U.S. Eases Limits on Russian Energy as Oil Prices SoarPosted on 03/11/2026 7:17:09 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
You might feel like you're seeing a lot of stories about strategic oil reserves on Wednesday.
That’s because the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran has caused volatility on the market, and the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris‑based intergovernmental organization that counts over 30 countries among its members, is releasing 400 million barrels to tackle the problem.
Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-NY) meanwhile has been “demanding” that we tap into our reserves (why does a minority leader get to “demand” anything?), and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), is, as RedState’s Becca Lower wrote, “asking the Energy Department (DoE) to look into what appears to be purely political moves by Joe Biden [when he was president] in releasing massive numbers of barrels to lower gas prices.”
Massive New IEA Oil Reserves Dump: 400 Million Barrels Released
On Wednesday afternoon, the stories continued as the president announced that the U.S., too, would hit our reserves:
President Trump on Wednesday ordered the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to bring down rising gas prices.
[...]
His willingness to tap the strategic reserve comes as the International Energy Agency coordinates the release of 400 million barrels of oil from various national reserves around the world.
According to the Energy Department, we'll begin tapping the reserves beginning next week, and the release process will take approximately four months.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump has just ordered the Department of Energy to release 172 MILLION BARRELS (5.4B gallons) from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, per DOE
Trump is using the Reserve for what it was ACTUALLY meant for — preventing hostile nations from blackmailing us… pic.twitter.com/UwpRji2b55— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 11, 2026
The tweet continues:
Trump is using the Reserve for what it was ACTUALLY meant for — preventing hostile nations from blackmailing us with oil prices.
Biden, on the other hand, was using it to make prices look better for the 2024 election.
President Trump said today the International Energy Agency also authorized over 400 MILLION barrels from various nations’ reserves.
Iran’s only card left to play is spiking gas prices in the US — and Trump isn’t about to allow that to happen.
Trump said he was aware of volatility in the oil market, but emphasized that this move, along with his promise to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, should blunt the impact.
"Well, we'll do that [tap the reserves] and then we'll fill it up," Trump told WKRC-TV in Cincinnati during a visit to pharmaceutical and biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific.
"I filled it 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."
Joe Biden famously drew down the reserve to a 40‑year low in 2020, and though he put some back in, he left it far emptier than when he started. Meanwhile, he spent the four years of his term warring against oil and traditional energy.
I say with some degree of confidence that Trump will start to fill it the moment things settle down, and instead of trying to crush the oil industry and send us back into the 1800s, he’ll want to drill, baby, drill.
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A situation like we have now is why we have the SPR - not for what Biden released it for.
Hope we still have enough after Biden’s reckless behavior.
Whatever...
A veritable drop in the bucket. It is supposed to be for emergencies. This ain’t one.
This is exactly what they are for. They are not to help a filthy rat get re-elected.
You are correct.
The SPR is for scarcity — and originally that was to happen from tankers blockaded out of our ports — pre shale.
IT’S NOT ABOUT PRICE. It is about barrels. You can decree price. You can’t decree full tanks.
Awesome. When it drops 30 or so dollars a gallon he can buy it back.
Well the markets still don’t like it. Dow futures are down over 500, and price of Oil hits $100 again…
USA uses about 20 million barrels a day. That about 8.5 days. Is that a hint about how long it will be before we destroy irans financial oil business ..and seize their oil and start selling it to China(split the proceeds with new Persian govt) and ship a small amount of it to u.s to replenish SPR?
Just sayin’...sell the rest to finance the new Persian government and their defense against China and Russia and other bad actors.
U.S. Eases Limits on Russian Energy as Oil Prices SoarHe tried filling it up at $20 barrel during his first term...demcommies blocked it.
Good thing you aren’t making the calls.
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