US strategic oil reserves fall to lowest level since 1982
Ulviyya Poladova
Read moreCrude oil stocks in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell to 283.8 million barrels last week.
According to the US Department of Energy, this is the lowest level since October 1982. The decline is linked to a decision made in March 2026 to provide up to 172 million barrels of oil from the SPR through exchange agreements. Companies receiving the oil are required to return it with an additional volume as a premium.
On September 27, US President Donald Trump said that the United States had shipped a record volume of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, exceeding levels recorded before the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, Reuters reports.
Donald Trump also said that oil is currently cheaper than it was under his predecessor, Joe Biden, adding that prices are expected to fall further.
US oil reserves have been declining since the spring. According to Goldman Sachs, crude oil and petroleum product inventories have been falling at record rates.
The prolonged war in the Middle East, which has disrupted supplies, contributed to a record decline in visible crude oil inventories in May 2026, when stocks fell by 8.7 million barrels per day, nearly twice the average rate recorded since the start of the conflict.
Image: Dado Ruvic / Reuters
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