The SPR is at a 43-year low — but the viral chart starts after the fill-up
Stocks fell about 25% from March to July during the Iran-war release; the reserve last held this little oil while it was still being built in 1983.
Trump authorized a 172-million-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve exchange as the U.S. share of a coordinated 400-million-barrel release after Iran-related supply disruption. EIA data show U.S. stocks falling from roughly 415 million barrels in March to 311.4 million on July 17.
The chart that circulated
The complete EIA history
