The United States will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic oil reserve. This is in an attempt to lower oil prices, which have risen sharply due to the attacks in the Middle East. This was announced by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, according to the Reuters news agency.
The oil from the United States is part of a larger release of a total of 400 million barrels of oil, which the 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) adopted earlier Wednesday.
According to Chris Wright, the release of the oil from the US oil reserve will begin next week. It will take about 120 days to deliver, the minister says.
The US and Israel began carrying out attacks on Iran on February 28, which has responded with attacks on Israel and the Gulf states where there are US military bases.
The release of oil is to replace some of the oil that cannot escape through the Strait of Hormuz, which separates Iran and the Arabian Peninsula and is important for the transport of oil from the Middle East. The strait has been practically closed to shipping since the war broke out and after Iran's Revolutionary Guards took control of the strait.
According to the AFP news agency, analysts have warned that a prolonged disruption to shipping through the strait - which also transports about a third of the fertilizer used in global food production - would result in a severe shock to the economy - especially in Asia and Europe.
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution demanding that Iran stop its attacks on the Gulf states. This prompted Iran's UN ambassador to accuse the council of "blatant abuse" of its mandate, AFP writes.
In addition to energy production, the attacks have also disrupted commercial aviation. On Wednesday, drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, authorities said.
/ritzau/
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