Oil rises after Iran shuts Hormuz again, Trump threatens new attacks
Oil prices rose on Monday after shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed while talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in their first meeting under an interim peace deal were off to a bumpy start. Brent crude futures climbed 54 cents or 0.67%, to $81.11 a barrel by 0030 GMT, after touching a high of $82.30 at the start of trading. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $78.62 a barrel, up $2.02, or 2.64% ahead of the contract’s expiry later on Monday. The more active August contract rose $1.43 to $77.28 a barrel. There was no settlement in the U.S. market on Friday due to a holiday. The number of ships that passed the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again closed the waterway, citing Israeli and U.S. violations of the interim peace deal, shipping data showed.