Energy mogul and shale billionaire Harold Hamm has turned his ire on the Biden administration, claiming that the Democrats have left the United States vulnerable as tensions in the Middle East have sparked concerns over oil supply.

Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma City-based shale producer Continental Resources, lambasted the administration during a recent interview with the Financial Times.

He claimed that the shale patch across the U.S. is in a “weakened condition” as crude reserves have seen record lows this year. Hamm also faulted the administration for draining the strategic petroleum reserve, which he said was dangerous because “you just never know when you need it.”

Throughout his time in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden‘s administration has repeatedly released oil from the nation’s SPR in what officials said was an effort to relieve people’s wallets at the pump.

In May, the administration also announced it would release a total of 1 million barrels of gasoline from storage sites.

The administration has been refilling the SPR. Last month, as part of a series of transactions, the administration revealed that it was seeking to purchase up to 6 million barrels for SPR to be delivered in early 2025.

“We are in an unusually vulnerable position,” Hamm told the Financial Times. “Everybody is looking in the direction [of the Middle East] right now – and has been for the last four years – but we had a president that frankly wasn’t at home.”

His remarks come as Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israel Tuesday night, in what the regime said was a response to the deaths of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since promised that Iran would pay for the attack. At the same time, Iranian officials have said a retaliatory response would lead to “vast destruction” in return, according to Reuters.

As concerns of greater escalation grew, oil prices jumped Tuesday and Wednesday. Just after noon on Wednesday, benchmark Brent Crude was up $0.25 to $73.81 while West Texas Intermediate was up $0.26 to $70.09.

Some have said the tension may not have as large of an impact on the market as the war in Ukraine – and instead will primarily affect China, according to the New York Times.

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However, greater conflict could threaten oil and gas exports that travel through the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20% of the world’s total oil exports travel through that checkpoint, which lies between Iran and Oman.

It remains a key transit point for the U.S., which imports approximately 11% of its total crude oil through the strait, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.