The US awarded 53.3 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to companies including Trafigura Group and Marathon Petroleum Corp, marking another major release of emergency oil aimed at cooling surging gasoline prices.

The sale is part of a coordinated effort to offset supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, which has tightened global crude markets and pushed fuel costs higher for American consumers. The administration has released multiple waves of SPR oil in recent months.

The award to major traders and refiners signals the government's strategy to inject supply directly into the domestic market chain. Trafigura, one of the world's largest oil traders, and Marathon, a key US refiner, will now have access to significant volumes of government-held crude.

The releases represent an unusual use of the emergency reserve, typically tapped only during severe supply disruptions or national emergencies. The scale of the drawdown underscores how sharply oil markets have tightened since the Middle East conflict escalated.