Trump's dramatic oil market maneuver 'stunned' his own allies: report
Source: Raw Story · Bias: Far Left
Summary
President Donald Trump's sudden announcement that the U.S. would unload some of its Strategic Petroleum Reserves to ease the market pressure resulting from the war in Iran caught some allies off guard, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Trump's announcement that it planned to undertake the largest-ever oil market intervention left some allies "stunned." The announcement was made at a time when global oil prices had soared following the coordinated strikes by the U.S. and Israel in Iran. On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told his global counterparts that an intervention was "premature" because the price of an oil barrel had stabilized near $90. Two hours later, Trump had changed his mind and forced the administration to begin preparing to release the country's oil reserves, the WSJ reported. Analysts also seemed shocked by the Trump administration's lack of preparation. “The fundamental thing I’ve been shocked by is the lack of preparation for the energy-market consequences of this,” Arnab Datta, managing director of policy implementation at Employ America, told WSJ. “There was nothing ready. Absolutely nothing.”Hamad Hussain, an economist at Capital Economics in London, was also skeptical that the move would pay off. “The rate at which IEA members can provide emergency barrels to the market cannot concurrently cover the loss of supply in the Middle East, even if the hostilities were to end soon,” Hussain said. Read the entire report by clicking here.
Related Coverage
- Melania gives Congress private deadline as she works around Trump's team: report (Far Left — Raw Story)
- REPORT: Acting DNI Bill Pulte Fires Dozens of ODNI Staff for Politicizing Intelligence, Insubordination, Gross Misconduct (Far Right — The Last Refuge)
- Trump announces pardons for pollution violators prosecuted for "fixing their car" (Center — Politics - CBSNews.com)
- Trump Pardons Six People Pursued for ‘Fixing Their Car’ (Center — Bloomberg Politics)
- Sources: Trump likely to pardon pollution violators; weighing clemency for Diddy (Center — Politics - CBSNews.com)
- Fox host warns Trump will pay for his 'breathtaking' corruption (Left — Alternet.org)
- Trump Scores Appeals Court Victory in Battle Over National Park Historical Displays (Right — RedState)
- Signs of Victory: I-95 Welcomes President Donald Trump Int'l Airport (Right — RedState)
More Headlines From March 12, 2026
- Oil price surges as Iran steps up attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf (Center)
- U.S. investigates strike on Iranian school as the war sparks a global oil crisis (Center)
- Trump says the 'quiet part out loud' with brag US makes 'a lot of money' from oil crisis (Left)
- Trump releasing 172M barrels of oil from reserve as prices soar amid Iran war (Center)
- Live updates: Energy secretary emphasizes ‘short-term’ spike in oil prices; Senate to take up DHS funding (Center)






