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Agadir – The International Energy Agency (IEA) has authorised the largest release of oil from strategic stockpiles in its history, making 400 million barrels available to global markets as a move to ease the rising of crude prices.
The decision was made by all 32 IEA member countries. This release is more than the double the size of the organisation’s previous largest intervention in which it released of about 182 million barrels in 2022 following Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA Member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
“Oil markets are global so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too. Energy security is the founding mandate of the IEA, and I am pleased that IEA Members are showing strong solidarity in taking decisive action together.”
The global energy market has been strongly affected by the rapidly widening US-Israeli-led war on Iran. These developments have led to a freeze of the shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint responsible for transporting a significant share of the world’s oil.
In 2025, roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil and oil products passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, representing about a quarter of global seaborne oil trade.
Read also: US-Israel-Iran War: IEA Reports Ongoing Global Energy Threats, Market Shockwaves
Birol described the decision as an extraordinary example of global cooperation, noting that “oil markets are global so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too.”
Initial market responses were mixed. While the release aims to calm price pressures, Brent crude remained sensitive to broader supply risk, with prices trading higher in some sessions even after the announcement.
Meanwhile, IEA officials and analysts continue to emphasize that strategic releases are a short‑term measure designed to buy time while efforts continue to restore regular shipping flows and resolve geopolitical tensions.
