According to informed sources, the Trump administration is planning to issue a temporary waiver for a century-old maritime law as one of its measures to combat surging oil prices.

The Jones Act mandates that cargo transported between U.S. ports must be carried on vessels built in the United States.

Sources who requested anonymity revealed that a 30-day suspension of the Jones Act would permit foreign tankers to deliver fuel from the Gulf Coast and other U.S. regions to refineries on the East Coast.

U.S. President Donald Trump is evaluating a range of potential options to address the sharp increase in crude oil and gasoline prices resulting from the Iran conflict. On Wednesday, the Department of Energy announced plans to release 17.2 million barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The last time a waiver was granted for the Jones Act was in October 2022, allowing a tanker to deliver supplies to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.

The Biden administration had also temporarily relaxed enforcement of the law in 2021 to address fuel shortages caused by a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, permitting foreign tankers to transport oil to refineries operated by Valero Energy Corp.