Trump mulls extending waiver to ease US oil shipments: Report

US President Donald Trump is considering extending a temporary suspension of a century-old maritime law that has increased oil shipments between US ports during the Iran war, the Axios news site reported Tuesday, citing US officials.

The suspension involves the Jones Act, a 1920 statute requiring goods transported between US ports to be carried on American-built, American-owned and American-crewed vessels.

Trump issued a 60-day waiver on March 18 amid rising fuel prices linked to the Iran war, aiming to ease domestic supply bottlenecks and stabilize energy costs.

Since the waiver took effect, White House data provided to Axios indicates that 40 foreign-flagged tankers have transported oil between US ports from California to Texas, Florida and Alaska—effectively expanding the active shipping fleet by roughly 70%.

According to administration figures, approximately 9 million barrels of oil have been moved under the waiver so far.

The escalation in the Middle East has flared since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.