Oil Prices Plunge 5% as Trump Halts Iran Strike Plans
India Moves to Rescue Renewable Energy Projects Stalled by Grid Shortages Josh Owens is the Content Director at Oilprice.com and a veteran energy journalist with over a decade of experience covering global energy markets and geopolitics.… Oil prices fell sharply in early Asian trade on Monday after President Trump called off another round of military strikes on Iran, raising hopes that a diplomatic route to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and averting a broader regional conflict could be found.
At the time of writing,West Texas Intermediate futureswere trading at $79.77 per barrel, down 5.88%, whileBrent futureshad fallen to $83.47, down 5.07%.
The most recent selloff comes after a very volatile July in which both benchmarks surged more than 20% as renewed hostilities between the U.S.
and Iran and a blockade of Saudi ports by the Houthis stoked fears of prolonged supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
On Saturday, it seemed that disruptions would worsen further when Trump warned that the U.S.
was preparing to launch what hedescribedas the "biggest attack since World War II" against Iran.
The President then called off that planned attack, saying regional leaders had convinced him that a deal was close.
As has happened so many times since this war started, the prospect of de-escalation saw oil prices tumble when markets opened on Monday.
Only time will tell whether this time will be any different or if it is a repeat of previous efforts at diplomacy.
On the shipping front, two Saudi oil tankers successfullytransitedthe Bab el-Mandeb Strait over the weekend, showing that Red Sea traffic is still moving.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency, however, reported three additional tanker attacks since Saturday, showing that maritime risks remain elevated in the region.
Adding to the downward pressure on oil prices, the OPEC+ groupapproveda production quota increase of roughly 188,000 barrels per day for September, completing the unwinding of one layer of its voluntary production cuts.
| Product | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Crude | $102.14/bbl | +0.34% |
| WTI Crude | $96.90/bbl | +0.21% |
| EN590 Diesel | $846/MT | +0.18% |
| Jet Fuel A-1 | $1090/MT | +0.55% |
| Mazut M100 | $450/MT | -0.15% |
| Bitumen 60/70 | $470/MT | +0.08% |
| Sulphur Gran 99.5% | $470/MT | -0.44% |
| Urea 46% Gran | $650/MT | +1.12% |
| NPK 16-16-16 | $460/MT | -0.28% |
| Nat Gas TTF | $15.42/MMBtu | +0.92% |
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