Economy
Brent Climbs to $112 as Ceasefire Doubts Persist
By Adedapo Adesanya
The price of Brent crude went up by $4.56 or 4.2 per cent to $112.57 per barrel on Friday, as traders remained sceptical about prospects for a ceasefire in the month-old Iran war.
Also, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose $5.16 or 5.5 per cent to settle at $99.64 per barrel, gaining over 1 per cent on a week-on-week basis, and surged 45 per cent since February 27, the day before the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
On its part, Brent chalked up 0.3 per cent in the week and gained 53 per cent since February 27.
Traders are cautious about President Donald Trump’s statements about the Iran talks, as the Iranian government claimed that the proposal by the US conveyed to Iran by Pakistan was one-sided.
The American President extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.
Also, the US has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, with President Trump weighing whether to use ground forces to seize Iran’s strategic oil hub of Kharg Island.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said the Iran war has taken about 11 million barrels per day out of global oil supply, describing the crisis as worse than the two 1970s oil shocks combined.
Market analysts noted that every day flows through the Strait remain restricted, more than 10 million barrels of oil are missing, adding that prices will fall quickly if the war begins to wind down soon, but still remain above pre-conflict levels. However, prices could rise to $200 if the war drags on until the end of June.
Meanwhile, two container vessels owned by China Ocean Shipping Company tried to pass through the Strait but were turned back, according to the ship tracking firm MarineTraffic. China is an ally of Iran and the Islamic Republic has previously said friendly ships can pass through the Strait.
This was the first attempt by a major container carrier to cross the sea route since the war started, the firm said. COSCO is the world’s fourth-largest shipping line by capacity.
Russian oil producers have warned buyers that they could declare force majeure on supplies from major Baltic Sea ports after Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
