US Oil Dependence on Middle East Sparks Calls for Change
US oil dependence on Middle East countries has been a long-standing issue, with various presidents promising to reduce it. President Joe Biden's quote that 'there is nothing we can't do if we do it together' seems apt in this context.
A recent Wall Street Journal headline suggests that Gulf States are resigned to Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.
The main obstacle to reducing US dependence on Middle East oil is the difference between domestic and international crude production. The US mainly produces light, sweet crude from shale formations, while the Middle East supplies heavier, higher-sulfur crude. Old US refineries were not designed to process heavier crude, and building new ones would be expensive and hampered by environmental regulations.
President Trump has suggested that tapping into North Sea oil reserves could help boost the UK economy. He reportedly discussed this idea with the UK's new prime minister, Andy Burnham.