Washington: (RightNow) Amid rising tensions with Iran in the Middle East, US crude oil reserves have significantly decreased. This raises new questions about the country’s energy security.

According to Bank of America, the US has crude oil reserves sufficient for only 43 days of needs. This is the first time since July 1983.

The US Energy Information Administration reports that as of July 10, the country’s commercial crude oil reserves stand at 409.7 million barrels. This is 6% below the five-year average.

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is also under pressure. By July 18, its volume had shrunk to 316.5 million barrels, the lowest since April 1983.

It is noteworthy that the total US crude oil reserves are approximately 730.8 million barrels, among the lowest in the past four decades.