Allies Answer Trump With Oil They Already Promised While America Drains Its Reserve

U.S. allies answered President Donald Trump’s demand for more emergency oil with barrels they had already promised in March and not yet released.

The Group of Seven (G7) nations pledged Oct. 2 to release 100 million barrels of crude and diesel over four months, Al Jazeera reported. Trump had warned that he could block U.S. diesel exports unless the allies released more fuel, according to Reuters.

But the pledge would finish a release the International Energy Agency (IEA) launched in March rather than add new oil, according to a document seen by Euronews, which reported it Thursday.

The United States is drawing 172 million barrels out of its own Strategic Petroleum Reserve, The National reported. IEA governments still hold about 1.1 billion barrels in public emergency stocks, more than 200 million of them diesel, according to the agency.

The IEA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“The United States has taken numerous actions to lower the cost of diesel and gasoline, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial traffic escorted by the U.S. Navy, encouraging our European partners to release millions of barrels of diesel from their reserves, allowing a wider use of red-dye (tax-free) diesel for American farmers and truckers, adjusting fuel blend requirements to increase U.S. gasoline supplies, and the use of Jones Act waivers,” an Energy Department spokesperson said in a statement to the DCNF.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an Oct. 2 post on X that the release, “the majority diesel,” would “deliver tremendous benefits for American farmers, truckers, and builders.”

“Because some members over-delivered, the 100 million barrels in the G7 statement can be covered within the existing action if everyone fulfils their commitments,” the document states, according to Euronews.

The March action covered 400 million barrels, according to the document. About 325 million had been released as of Wednesday, the IEA said in a statement that day.

Releasing the rest of what members pledged would add roughly 100 million barrels, the agency said.

Max Pyziur, director of research programs at the Energy Policy Research Foundation, said that “while it might seem disproportionate,” the U.S. share of the release reflects how much more petroleum the country uses than any other country or region.

“Therefore, releasing 172 million barrels from U.S. strategic reserves is in line,” he said in a statement to the DCNF.

Pyziur said the larger problem is a global shortfall of about 1 million barrels a day of diesel exports, roughly 70 percent of which came from the Persian Gulf, while U.S. refineries running at 92 percent of capacity are supplying about 400,000 extra barrels a day of diesel.

“The clearest remedy is replacing lost diesel-producing refining capacity, whether by bringing it back online in the Middle East or adding it elsewhere. And that will take considerable time,” he added.

“It’s reasonable for the administration to push allies to deliver on their emergency release commitments,” Jason Hayes, a senior research fellow for energy and environment at the Heritage Foundation, said in a statement to the DCNF. “It’s also reasonable to expand American production and refining capacity, and to resist policies such as diesel export bans that would ultimately reduce fuel availability and raise costs over time.”

“Lasting price relief will come from increasing supply, not by managing increasingly scarce supplies of essential transportation fuels,” Hayes added.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who previously served as senior counselor for the White House National Energy Dominance Council, said Europe’s reluctance to send naval forces to the Persian Gulf and release refined fuel stocks would be eroding U.S. leverage over Iran if a weaker president with anti-energy policies were in office.

“Iran isn’t helped by European weakness, we just aren’t getting any further relief and support beyond what Admiral [Brad] Cooper and the energy team have delivered,” Goldberg said in a statement to the DCNF.

Navy Adm. Brad Cooper leads U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East.

“Parts of Europe are now transitioning from green energy to red, white and blue energy,” Goldberg added. “I think it’s fair to ask Europe to be part of an energy additional strategy for the West instead of energy subtraction.”

“I think the real story with the Europeans is why they make pledges and then ignore them until President Trump drops the hammer on them,” economist J.D. Foster said in a statement to the DCNF. “I don’t think the answer is duplicity. I think the answer is that the European governance mechanism is so dysfunctional … that it takes a big outside push to get results.”

“Reports indicate that oil flows out of the Middle East have approached pre-Iran War levels. That argues for pausing the SPR [Strategic Petroleum Reserve] draw down,” Foster added.

“The IEA stands ready to release more of these stocks to the market if and when required,” the agency’s Executive Director Fatih Birol said in Wednesday’s statement.

European diesel futures closed 6 percent higher Wednesday after IEA members held to the 400 million barrels they committed to in March rather than adding more, CNN reported. U.S. diesel averaged $6.28 a gallon Friday, according to American Automobile Association data.

IEA members backed speeding up the remaining March releases and finishing them “as soon as possible,” according to the agency’s statement.

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