The US is to release 30 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve as part of a global effort to reduce disruption to oil supplies.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the release of oil was in response to supply disruptions caused by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
Officials said the US reserve was currently at a historically high level.
US fuel prices have risen steeply during 2011, increasing domestic pressure on President Barack Obama.
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