# Iran conflict drains US oil reserve to 300 million barrels 2026-08-16T12:17:40+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has fallen to 300 million barrels for the first time, as the Iran conflict accelerates withdrawals. The oil is stored in 60 salt caverns thousands of feet underground at four sites along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, NDTV Profit reports. The reserve acts as a buffer against supply disruptions. The drawdown reflects the strain of rising tensions with Iran, with the current level described as a 'breaking point' by the outlet. Analysts see the 300-million-barrel mark as a critical threshold for US energy security. ## Coverage - ndtvprofit.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Iran, strategic petroleum reserve, United States Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/iran-conflict-drains-us-oil-reserve-to-300-million-barrels/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/iran-conflict-drains-us-oil-reserve-to-300-million-barrels/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/