Oil falls 1% after hitting 5-month high amid Mideast conflict
Oil prices fell 1% on Monday after touching a five-month high as markets tried to gauge the impact on transit of oil and gas via the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. airstrikes against Iran at the weekend.
Brent crude futures were down 70 cents, or 0.9%, at $76.31 a barrel by 10:46 a.m. ET (1446 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell 76 cents, or 1%, to $73.09.
Earlier in the session, Brent and WTI touched five-month highs of $81.40 and $78.40 respectively, before seesawing between positive and negative territory throughout the European trading session.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes over the weekend, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.
Israel carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Monday including on capital Tehran and the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, which was also a target of the U.S. attack.
At least two supertankers made U-turns near the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. military strikes on Iran, ship tracking data shows, as more than a week of violence in the region prompted vessels to speed, pause, or alter their journeys.
About a fifth of global oil supply flows through the strait. However, the risk of a complete shutdown is low, analysts have said.
Source : Reuters
