US petroleum reserve plunges to
40-year low, sparking alarm
over energy security
August 25, 2:12 pm
(PressTV)
The Trump administration has drained the US’ Strategic Petroleum
Reserve (SPR) to its lowest level in over four decades, triggering
widespread panic and dire warnings from financial analysts,
lawmakers, and public figures alike.
Official data from the US Department of Energy released on Monday
shows the emergency stockpile fell by 3.7 million barrels to 289.7
million barrels as of August 21.
This marks the lowest level since November 1982, when inventories
stood at 288.2 million barrels. The reserve is now filled to just 41%
of its authorized 714-million-barrel capacity.
The stockpile has plummeted by more than 125 million barrels, or
roughly 30%, since late February, when it held approximately
415.4 million barrels.
Compounding the alarm, financial data company Barchart, citing a
Bank of America research chart, warned on Monday that the US
may now have "just 41 days of crude oil inventory left."
This historic depletion is a direct result of an emergency release
program announced in March to counter severe supply
disruptions in West Asia ...and restrictions on
shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump authorized the release of 172 million barrels
from the reserve as part of a coordinated International Energy
Agency initiative to inject 400 million barrels of oil and
petroleum products into global markets.
The Energy Department’s data reveals the relentless pace
of depletion, with 39.4 million barrels released in May, 33
million in June, 17.4 million in July, and 15.1 million so
far, in August.
‘Buckle up’
The precipitous drop in the nation's emergency oil buffer
has drawn sharp, multifaceted reactions across the
political and social spectrum.
On the political front, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA)
succinctly captured the growing anxiety in a social media post
on X, writing simply: “This seems bad.”
Meanwhile, the media-monitoring project ---- Decoding Fox News,
operated by journalist Juliet Jeske, argued that the draining of
the SPR poses a severe political liability for President Trump
just months ahead of the midterm elections.
“Trump ....cannot bluff his way out of this,” the project posted on X.
“The man bankrupted casinos. That takes a special kind of stupid.”
The domestic drain comes - as global oil prices have surged due to
the ongoing war on Iran and Tehran’s wartime restrictions on the
Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint that historically
handles 20% of the world’s oil trade.
“The average working person is being hit
hard by the price of everything”
Sara Flounders says that major oil companies — most of
them owned by the US—benefit from the US war on Iran.
Follow: https://t.co/Un53LExogy pic.twitter.com/IdPRMXbQMj
While shipments through the Strait have seen a slight increase
in recent weeks, they remain far below pre-war levels, keeping
global energy markets on edge ------- and highlighting the
vulnerability of US supply chains.
The situation has also prompted stark, alarmist warnings from
public figures.. regarding the preparedness of the Americans.
Prominent technology reviewer and inventor Zack Nelson
cautioned that “the [Band-Aid] holding everything
together .........is about to break.”
Echoing this sentiment, Christopher David, a Navy veteran and
prominent advocate, issued a blunt warning to his more than
70,000 followers on X regarding the projected timeline for
the reserve's total depletion.
“Buckle. The. F---. Up,” David wrote. "September
2nd is tank bottoms for the SPR.”
As the US barrels toward early September - with its emergency oil
stockpiles critically depleted - the administration faces mounting
pressure to address a looming energy vulnerability exacerbated
by a protracted and costly war on Iran.
________________________________________
Iran launches 600 MW of renewable
power projects --------- nationwide
August 25, 1:59pm
(PressTV)
Iran has launched 600 megawatts of renewable power capacity, in
107 projects across all 31 provinces, accelerating a major push to
expand clean energy ..& ease the country’s electricity shortages.
Hamidreza Azimi, deputy head of Iran’s Renewable Energy and
Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA), said on Tuesday that
the country’s renewable power capacity currently stands at
around 5,800 MW, with solar capacity increasing from 700
MW to 5,300 MW, over the past two years.
Iran, he said, is targeting 12,000 MW of renewable capacity
by next year’s peak electricity demand, including 11,000
MW of solar power.
Azimi made the announcement during the inauguration of
a 95-MW solar power plant at the Shamsabad Industrial
Town in Tehran Province.
The plant ...consists of two units, which were inaugurated
in a ceremony attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian
on Tuesday.
A separate 12-MW solar power plant, built with an investment
of 5.1 trillion rials, was also inaugurated, Azimi said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed a ceremony
marking the inauguration of renewable power projects in
Tehran ...on August 25, 2026.
Addressing the ceremony, President Pezeshkian said his
government aims to generate 30,000 MW from clean
and renewable sources - over the next two years.
Pezeshkian also vowed full government support for domestic
manufacturers and investors in solar-panel production,
saying land and other necessary facilities would
be made available to investors.
The president also called for reducing the country’s reliance
on fossil fuels, stressing that electricity supplies to industry
should not be interrupted.
In separate remarks, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi highlighted the
role of international cooperation in advancing economic efficiency,
vowing to pursue plans to expand the use of clean and renewable
energy more vigorously than before.
Iran’s renewable energy - gains
momentum after fourfold surge
Iran’s renewable energy capacity has quadrupled in two years,
as solar expansion, investment and domestic manufacturing
push the sector beyond potential ------ toward a growing
economic force.
Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, meanwhile,
said $1.7 billion had so far been allocated to advance
renewable-energy projects.
Hemmati said there are no restrictions on providing
financing to domestic solar-panel manufacturers.
In Tehran Province alone, solar capacity has risen from 23 MW
to 400 MW, according to Governor Mohammad Sadegh
Motamedian, who said the figure represents a
roughly 20-fold increase.
The latest projects are part of Iran’s broader plan to expand
renewable energy capacity as the country seeks to ease
pressure on its electricity network and address fuel
shortages affecting thermal power plants.
The expansion comes, amid a rapid growth in renewable energy
-- worldwide. According to the International Renewable Energy
Agency, global renewable power capacity reached 5,149 GW
at the end of 2025, with a record 692 GW added, during
the year.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind generate
electricity without burning fossil fuels, helping to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, diversify energy supplies,
and strengthen energy security.
______________________________________
China rejects US threats of 'illegal,
unilateral sanctions' against
countries trading with Iran
August 25, 9:50am
(PressTV)
China - opposes US threats of sanctions against countries trading
with Iran, saying Beijing's cooperation with Tehran is conducted
in accordance with international law & should not be disrupted.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks
at a press conference on Tuesday in response to questions about
the latest US sanctions against Iran.
“China --- is closely monitoring the developments,” Lin said,
stressing that Beijing will take all necessary measures,
to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
The comments came a day after the United States announced
sanctions against 60 individuals, entities and vessels as part
of its efforts to further pressure Iran’s economy.
The United States ......unveiled the new wave of illegal sanctions
against Iran under the so-called “Operation Economic Outcast,”
threatening secondary penalties against any country or entity
maintaining trade ties with Tehran.... in a failed attempt to
achieve through economic coercion, what its military
aggression could not.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced the
new "economic terrorism" campaign, absurdly comparing it to
the D-Day Normandy landings of World War II.
Bessent claimed the measures target Iran’s financial
networks worldwide and warned that no partner
is beyond Washington’s reach.
He said the Trump administration has identified entities dealing
with Iran and will impose deadlines for them to cut ties
or face ''exclusion from the US dollar system''.
The new measures expand secondary sanctions risks in areas
such as digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping,
while sanctioning around 60 entities, individuals and vessels
helping facilitate Iranian trade.
The announcement comes amid clear signs of US desperation
after months of an unsuccessful military offensive ...and a
naval blockade that has failed to break Iran’s resolve.
China, Iran’s largest trading partner, has already rejected the
approach. Beijing’s embassy in Washington stated that
“sanctions and pressure, do not help to resolve the
problem” and called for political and diplomatic
solutions instead.
Beijing has also repeatedly opposed unilateral sanctions and
maintained --- that its economic and trade cooperation with
Iran is conducted in accordance with international law.
_______________________________________
US popular support for military aggression
against Iran ---------- at lowest level: Poll
August 25, 7:18am
(PressTV)
Popular support among US citizens for military aggression by the US
against Iran has fallen to its lowest level since late February, when
the United States and the Israeli regime launched their latest
unprovoked war on the Islamic Republic, a poll shows.
According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, 31 percent
of US citizens said they supported the aggression, down from 37
percent in March and 34 percent earlier this month. The decline
was also evident among Republican respondents, with support
falling to 69 percent from 77 percent in March.
The aggression has also weighed down on President
Donald Trump’s public standing, the poll indicated.
For the second consecutive Reuters/Ipsos survey, only 33 percent
of respondents said they approved of Trump’s performance as
president. That figure matches the lowest approval rating
recorded for Trump in the polling series across his
first and second terms.
Immediately after the launch of the aggression, Iran began
targeting sensitive and strategic hostile targets across
the region with ballistic and hypersonic missiles
as well as attack drones.
By April 7, the Islamic Republic had launched at least 100
waves of retaliatory strikes, prompting Trump ------- to
announce a unilateral ceasefire.
The United States repeatedly violates the ceasefire and later, a
bilateral memorandum of understanding, only to be faced with
continued uncompromising Iranian reprisals.
The poll also showed a growing expectation among US citizens that
the confrontation will continue for an extended period. Eighty-three
percent of respondents said they believed it would last for some
time, compared with 80 percent earlier this month.
The survey also found, that independent voters currently preferred
Democrats over Republicans ---- when asked which party they will
support in a congressional election, a telling implication for US'
midterm elections in November. Among independents,
33 percent said they would vote for a Democrat,
while 19 percent said they would choose
a Republican.
The survey questioned 1,215 adults across the United States
over four days. Its margin of error was three percentage
points in either direction.
