Trump says the United States does not need oil from the Middle East, but shipments continue to arrive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In the midst of an avalanche of Twitter ads on Monday morning, US President Donald Trump turned to the weekend attack on Saudi oil facilities and assured his audience that the United States United had become such a big producer that he no longer needed oil from the East Center. (See tweet right here)

US government data tell a different story: the US drilling boom that began more than a decade ago has made the United States a huge producer, but imports of crude oil and oil products from the Gulf region were still abundant. (Read the story here)

"In general, we still import a lot and not completely safe from the global market," said Jean-François Seznec, senior fellow of the Atlantic Council's World Energy Center, in a call for journalists on Monday.

Iran rejected US accusations that it was responsible for the attacks, which damaged the world's largest crude oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia and caused the largest rise in crude prices in decades.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and ships about 7 million barrels of crude a day worldwide. The United States produces about 12 million barrels a day, but consumes 20 million barrels a day, which means they have to import the rest.

Much of the US shortage comes from Canada, but another part comes from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and other Gulf countries, as many American refineries prefer their oil. For example, the largest US refinery – Motiva Enterprises LLC in Port Arthur, Texas – is half owned by the Saudi energy company, Saudi Aramco, and is designed for Saudi qualities.

Other refineries, particularly in California, are isolated from major US oil fields and also rely on cargo. (Read the story here)

The imbalance between what American refiners want and what the United States produces means that by 2018, the United States has imported an average of 48 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products from the Gulf region, according to the United States. US Energy Information Administration.

This is down about one-third from a decade ago, as domestic oil and gas production rose, but at about the same level as in 1995 and 1996, according to the data.

Phillip Cornell, another senior member of the Atlantic Council, who previously advised Saudi Aramco, called Trump's tweet "foolish".

"He's a guy who likes hyperbole," he said.

Sarah Emerson, president of ESAI Energy LLC, said the suspension of Saudi production, if extended, could offer US crude oil producers an opportunity to expand their foreign markets.

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