US commercial crude oil inventories fell to their lowest level since 2018 in the week ending June 26 as demand from domestic refineries increased, according to weekly data released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The data also showed a decline in gasoline inventories ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

The EIA reported that commercial crude oil inventories fell by 3.8 million barrels during the week to 408.4 million barrels, the lowest level recorded since September 2018.

Since Feb. 28, when the war with Iran began, total US oil inventories, including commercial crude stocks and government-controlled emergency reserves, have declined by 120.71 million barrels to 734 million barrels.

That marks the lowest level since May 1984.

The EIA said crude oil inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub rose by 709,000 barrels during the week after declining for nine consecutive weeks, having previously fallen below the site’s operational minimum of about 20 million barrels.

Following the data release, Brent crude futures extended their decline, with prices falling 1.6%.

US crude futures were little changed after the inventory draw came in smaller than expected, trading about 1% lower.

The EIA said refinery crude oil inputs increased by 85 per day, while refinery utilization rose by 0.5 percentage points to 96.6% during the week.

Commenting on the data, Again Capital partner John Kilduff said: “US refineries are running at full capacity, and that is an absolutely critical requirement.”

Gasoline supplied, a key indicator of demand, increased by 356,000 barrels per day last week to 9.13 million barrels per day. The data also showed US gasoline inventories fell by about 2.3 million barrels during the week to 214 million barrels.

US gasoline futures held onto gains and rose 1.1% after the report showed a larger-than-expected decline in gasoline inventories.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) said the national average retail gasoline price stood at about $3.85 per gallon.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that gasoline retailers should immediately lower prices, warning they would face “big problems” in the future if they failed to do so. Trump urged retailers to target a price of $2.50 per gallon.

The data showed inventories of distillate fuels, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 2.5 million barrels to 108.6 million barrels, contrary to expectations for a draw of 500,000 barrels.

US diesel futures surrendered part of their gains following the unexpected increase in distillate inventories but remained up about 0.4%.

The EIA also reported that US net crude oil imports increased by 370,000 barrels per day.

Lawyers for an American citizen who was recently released from an Iraqi prison after serving a terrorism-related sentence have alleged that their client has been detained in Türkiye at the request of the US government.

According to POLITICO, attorneys for Shawki Ahmad Sharif Omar, who was born in Kuwait and became a US citizen in the 1980s, filed a petition in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.

The petition alleges that the US government worked with Turkish authorities to prevent Omar from re-entering the United States.

Omar is being held at a deportation center in Türkiye, but his lawyers argue that he is effectively being held in the “constructive custody” of the US government. They have asked a federal judge to order his release and return to the United States.

The case has been assigned to US District Judge John Bates, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

Omar, who is also a Jordanian citizen, was captured by US forces in Iraq in 2004 on allegations that he had assisted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Omar drew international attention after describing the abuse and torture he said he suffered while in US military custody.

After US authorities transferred him to Iraqi custody in 2011, he was convicted of immigration-related offenses and, several years later, of terrorism charges. He remained imprisoned on those charges until April this year.

Evidence submitted by the US government during a 2008 Supreme Court case portrayed Omar as a key intermediary for Zarqawi’s organization who “facilitated the group’s connections with other terrorist organizations, brought foreign fighters into Iraq, and planned and carried out kidnappings.”

Omar and his lawyers have argued that the US evidence supporting those allegations was weak and was never substantiated.

They have also maintained that the proceedings against him in Iraq were unfair and that he was denied the right to a fair trial. His case has attracted international attention for years.

According to his attorneys, Omar was issued a temporary US passport after being released from Iraqi custody in April, but was nevertheless placed on a no-fly list, preventing him from traveling to the United States to reunite with his wife and children, who are US citizens.

The allegation that Turkish authorities are holding Omar at Washington’s request raises new questions about the US government’s legal authority to work with foreign governments to advance its border security and immigration objectives.

It would be highly unusual for the United States to ask another country to detain a US citizen in order to prevent that individual from re-entering the country, regardless of the person’s criminal record.

According to the petition, Turkish authorities detained Omar and transferred him to a deportation center. It states that he has been held at an undisclosed facility for the past week.

The filing further alleges that Turkish officials told Omar they were acting at the request of US authorities.

The complaint also includes correspondence with US State Department officials acknowledging Omar’s detention and stating that they were working with their Turkish counterparts to verify his status.

“The government cannot claim that it lacks control over petitioner’s detention after actively exercising its authority to intervene on his behalf,” Omar’s lawyers wrote.

The attorneys also argued that Omar faces “the risk of deportation to a country where he is likely to face torture, including Jordan.”

“Jordan is a country where members of Omar’s family have been questioned about his whereabouts and activities. Moreover, given that he was previously transferred there by US authorities and subjected to torture, he also faces the risk of being tortured in Türkiye at the request of the United States,” the lawyers said.

Search and rescue operations continued across Venezuela following the powerful earthquakes that struck the country, while authorities arrested four police officers in La Guaira state for allegedly taking part in looting.

According to a report by Europa Press, those detained were officers assigned to the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps.

In a statement, Venezuelan police said the four officers failed to carry out their duties during search and rescue operations and instead appropriated valuables they found in the rubble.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the officers, who have also been dismissed from the force.

Speaking at a press conference, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello condemned the officers’ actions.

“We immediately decided to dismiss the four personnel responsible for these immoral acts. They have been handed over to the justice system in accordance with the law. We will show absolutely no tolerance toward those who act against ethical and professional standards while wearing the official uniform. It is unacceptable for anyone to seek personal gain from the suffering of others. Through these actions, they have disgraced the uniform they wore,” Cabello said.

Venezuela was struck on the evening of June 24 by two earthquakes measuring between magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, occurring roughly 40 seconds apart. As of June 30, more than 1,700 people had been confirmed dead, while more than 43,000 others remained unaccounted for.

Search efforts are continuing in the affected areas, where rescue teams are still working to pull survivors from beneath the rubble.

The earthquakes that struck in June rank among the five strongest in Venezuela’s recorded history. The magnitude 7.5 quake is reported to be the country’s most powerful earthquake in the past century.

The disaster has also been recorded as the fourth and fifth strongest earthquakes to hit Venezuela since record-keeping began in 1900.