"However, with a shortage, people are looking for anything they can get. So that's that's the state that we have right now, and that's why we're pushing, a 00 a barrel." Middle Eastern crude is currently blocked, creating a severe global supply shortfall. The US waiver for Russian oil only applies to inventory already on ships, which acts as a temporary band-aid rather than a structural fix. This ongoing supply deficit will continue to drive up the underlying price of crude oil. LONG USO as a direct play on the physical oil shortage and rising global crude prices. Middle Eastern supply routes reopen quickly, or macroeconomic weakness destroys energy demand in major importing nations like China and India.