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Oil hits four-year high as Opec, Russia resist output rise to offset Iran sanctions

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SINGAPORE: Brent crude oil prices hit a fresh four-year high on Tuesday amid looming US sanctions against Iran and an apparent reluctance by Opec and Russia to raise output to offset the expected hit to supply.


Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose to $81.69 a barrel shortly after 0600 GMT, a level not seen since November 2014. They were still at $81.50 at 0655 GMT, up 30 cents, or 0.4 per cent from their last close.


US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $72.28 a barrel, up 20 cents, or 0.3 per cent from their last settlement.


The United States from November 4 will target Iran’s oil exports with sanctions, and Washington is putting pressure on governments and companies around the world to fall in line and cut purchases from Tehran.


“Iran will lose sizeable export volumes, and given Opec+ reluctance to raise output, the market is ill-equipped to fill the supply gap,” Harry Tchilinguirian, global head of commodity markets strategy at French bank BNP Paribas, told the Reuters Global Oil Forum on Tuesday.


Opec+ groups members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and non-Opec supplier Russia, who together agreed to curtail output starting in 2017.


While Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran on Monday said they were determined to develop payment mechanisms to continue trading despite the sanctions by the United States, most analysts expect Washington’s actions to knock between 1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil supplies out of markets.


US President Donald Trump has demanded that Opec and Russia increase their supplies to make up for the expected fall in Iranian exports. Iran is the third-largest producer in Opec. — Reuters


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