Apr 3, 2026 11:54 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 3, 2026 11:55 PM by C C.)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/...026-04-02/
EXCERPTS: President Donald Trump this week told countries struggling to get jet fuel due to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to buy from the U.S., but analysts say there is a major problem with his advice: the U.S. can't cover the global shortfall.
"We have plenty," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. U.S. government data shows that's not the case.
About half a million barrels a day of jet fuel is exported out of the Strait of Hormuz, mainly to Europe and some to Asia and Africa, data from vessel-tracking service Kpler shows.
[...] The United States is the top consumer of jet fuel globally, and most of the jet fuel the country produces is consumed domestically, EIA data shows. Last week, refiners and fuel blenders produced 1.97 million bpd of jet fuel, which was just slightly above demand of 1.79 million bpd, EIA reported.
"Even if the U.S. had plenty of jet fuel, it has plenty of airlines too," Smith said. Moreover, most U.S. jet fuel production is concentrated in the U.S. Gulf Coast, and major demand centers along the country's East Coast and West Coast have historically relied on imports to cover their needs.
The West Coast in particular is going to need more supply of the fuel from the U.S. Gulf Coast as many of its typical suppliers in Asia are among those hit hardest by the Strait of Hormuz closure. Asian refiners have had to cut production and ban exports, leaving California in search of alternate suppliers.
To be sure, the U.S. is exporting more of all fuels, including jet fuel, to global markets as it is the one major fuel producer not directly impacted by the war. Jet fuel prices have surged in the United States since the Iran war began, but to a lesser extent than other markets directly hit by the Strait of Hormuz blockade... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: President Donald Trump this week told countries struggling to get jet fuel due to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to buy from the U.S., but analysts say there is a major problem with his advice: the U.S. can't cover the global shortfall.
"We have plenty," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. U.S. government data shows that's not the case.
About half a million barrels a day of jet fuel is exported out of the Strait of Hormuz, mainly to Europe and some to Asia and Africa, data from vessel-tracking service Kpler shows.
[...] The United States is the top consumer of jet fuel globally, and most of the jet fuel the country produces is consumed domestically, EIA data shows. Last week, refiners and fuel blenders produced 1.97 million bpd of jet fuel, which was just slightly above demand of 1.79 million bpd, EIA reported.
"Even if the U.S. had plenty of jet fuel, it has plenty of airlines too," Smith said. Moreover, most U.S. jet fuel production is concentrated in the U.S. Gulf Coast, and major demand centers along the country's East Coast and West Coast have historically relied on imports to cover their needs.
The West Coast in particular is going to need more supply of the fuel from the U.S. Gulf Coast as many of its typical suppliers in Asia are among those hit hardest by the Strait of Hormuz closure. Asian refiners have had to cut production and ban exports, leaving California in search of alternate suppliers.
To be sure, the U.S. is exporting more of all fuels, including jet fuel, to global markets as it is the one major fuel producer not directly impacted by the war. Jet fuel prices have surged in the United States since the Iran war began, but to a lesser extent than other markets directly hit by the Strait of Hormuz blockade... (MORE - missing details)