SOURCE: International Energy Agency press releases (PRIMARY - official). Site returns empty page to curl; text below as returned by WebFetch on 16 Sep 2026 (quoted sentences are verbatim; other lines are WebFetch's summary — verify against live page before quoting).

(1) "IEA Member countries to carry out largest ever oil stock release amid market disruptions from Middle East conflict", 11 March 2026
URL: https://www.iea.org/news/iea-member-countries-to-carry-out-largest-ever-oil-stock-release-amid-market-disruptions-from-middle-east-conflict
- 400 million barrels from emergency reserves; all 32 IEA Member countries unanimously agreed; sixth collective action in IEA history (1991, 2005, 2011, twice in 2022).
- Members hold over 1.2 billion barrels in government emergency stocks plus c. 600 million barrels of industry stocks under government obligation.
- Conflict beginning 28 February 2026 has severely impeded oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, reducing export volumes of crude and refined products to less than 10% of pre-conflict levels; before the conflict c. 20 million b/d of crude and products transited the Strait, roughly 25% of global seaborne oil trade.
- Fatih Birol (verbatim as returned): "Oil market challenges are unprecedented in scale...IEA Members are showing strong solidarity in taking decisive action together."

(2) "Update on IEA collective action decision of 11 March 2026", 15 March 2026
URL: https://www.iea.org/news/update-on-iea-collective-action-decision-of-11-march-2026
- Verbatim: Member countries announced they would "make 400 million barrels of oil available to the market in response to the disruptions resulting from the Middle East conflict."
- Total commitment 411.9 million barrels: government stocks 271.7m; obligated industry stocks 116.6m; other 23.6m. Americas 195.8m (100% crude); Asia Oceania 108.6m (60% crude/40% products); Europe 107.5m (32% crude/68% products).
- Verbatim: "Stocks will be made available by IEA Member countries in Asia Oceania immediately while stocks from IEA Member countries in the Americas and Europe will be made available starting from the end of March."
- Verbatim: "the sixth time that IEA Member Countries have taken emergency collective action".
