US Oil and Gas Executives Cash Out Nearly $400 Million as Iran War Boosts Energy Stocks

July 29th, according to The New York Times report, since the outbreak of the Iran war caused energy supply tension and drove up oil and gas prices, top executives of several large US oil and gas companies have made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by selling company stock.

The environmental group Friends of the Earth analyzed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure documents and found that since the start of the war, insiders at US fossil fuel companies have collectively sold nearly $400 million worth of stock. Among them, executives of ConocoPhillips had the highest selling amount, reaching about $96 million; executives of natural gas exporters Cheniere Energy and Venture Global followed.

The report stated that the recent stock sales by executives of the three companies have all exceeded the full-year 2025 level. ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance sold stock in two transactions in March this year, totaling nearly $80 million; Cheniere Energy executives also sold shares around the company's stock price hitting a new high.

Analysts pointed out that the rise in oil and gas company stock prices is directly related to the surge in energy prices, and executives cashing out at high stock prices aligns with market incentive logic. However, critics believe that part of the corporate profit growth comes from the increase in energy costs due to geopolitical conflicts, and the related benefits are ultimately borne by consumers. Therefore, there are calls to impose a "windfall tax" on energy companies.

Currently, proposals to impose a windfall tax on the energy industry in the US have not received Republican support.