By Jeslyn Lerh
SINGAPORE, July 15 (Reuters) – Oil extended gains on Wednesday as President Donald Trump reimposed a naval blockade on all Iranian ports and Tehran launched strikes on U.S. infrastructure in the region.
Brent futures climbed 58 cents, or 0.7%, to $85.31 a barrel at 0630 GMT. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $79.69 a barrel.
Oil prices closed up 2% at a one-month high on Tuesday as attacks exacerbated a supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed prior to the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
“Brent and WTI have made upward corrections in line with escalating attacks but the quantum of move is likely now tempered as the market waits to see any change in stance from the U.S. and Iran,” said June Goh, senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities.
Early on Wednesday, the U.S. began a fresh round of strikes to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military said.
“While the physical oil market remains adequately supplied, any further escalation involving the Strait of Hormuz or additional sanctions on Iranian exports could quickly tighten market sentiment and add further risk premiums,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova.
Tehran says it has again closed the strait after hostilities between Iran and the U.S. reignited last week, fraying an already fragile truce reached in June after several months of fighting.
The flare-up over the last few days heightened doubts that a memorandum of understanding signed last month would lead to a permanent halt to the war, which has engulfed Iran’s neighbors.
“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump told Fox News in an interview aired Tuesday night on “Special Report with Bret Baier”.
Iran’s army said early on Wednesday that it had launched drone attacks against U.S. positions at Jordan’s Azraq base. There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they targeted weapons and storage facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh in Singapore; Additional reporting by Helen Clark in Perth; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Thomas Derpinghaus)
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