Global oil inventories could hit critical levels ahead of the peak summer demand period if stock draws continue at their current pace, the head of the International Energy Agency's oil industry and markets division said on Tuesday. "We're seeing stock draws continuing into the summer, and with the possibility or the likelihood that we reach critical levels or historical low levels just ahead of the peak summer demand," said Toril Bosoni. It could take six to eight months in the best-case [Read more]

August could mark a tipping point for much higher oil prices if demand rises and the Iran war supply crisis persists, an Abu Dhabi state oil company executive said on Tuesday, adding it could take a year for supply chains to recover even after flows normalise. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz will remain partial and below pre-war levels as long as uncertainty over peace persists, Philippe Khoury, ADNOC's executive vice president for sales and trading, told the Middle East Petroleum and [Read more]

Oil prices trended lower on Tuesday following the previous session's sharp gains as the market remained cautious about progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday talks with Iran were ongoing, while Tasnim news agency reported earlier that Tehran had suspended indirect negotiations with Washington. Brent crude futures lost 75 cents, or 0.79%, to $94.23 a barrel at 0434 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell 85 cents, or 0.92%, to $91.31 a [Read more]

A surge of U.S. crude oil is arriving in Asia, but the record volumes are nowhere near enough to offset the loss of cargoes from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Asia's imports of U.S. crude were 63.56 million barrels in May, the most for a single month although at 2.05 million barrels per day (bpd) they were slightly behind the 2.07 million bpd from June 2023, according to data compiled by commodity analysts Kpler. However, more U.S. oil is on the way, with Kpler tracking [Read more]

The discount on Western Canada Select crude oil to North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures narrowed on Monday. WCS for July delivery in Hardisty, Alberta settled at minus $12.50 a barrel below the U.S. benchmark WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, compared with minus $15.30 in mid-May. * The WCS differential has been volatile since the start of the Iran conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sharply reduced crude exports from the region and [Read more]

U.S. crude exports climbed to a record 5.6 million barrels per day in May as the Middle East crisis pushed up demand for the country's oil from Asian and European refiners, ship tracking estimates showed on Monday. The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran triggered the largest-ever disruption to the global energy market with refiners globally scrambling for alternatives to Middle Eastern supply. Around a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies passes through the Strait of Hormuz. a key waterway [Read more]

Iran's Tasnim news agency said on Monday that Tehran's negotiating team is stopping exchanges of messages with the United States through mediators due to attacks on Lebanon, as diplomatic efforts to end the three-month-old Iran war continue. The agency said Iran and the Resistance Front, which includes its Shiite allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, have set an agenda to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts, including the Bab El Mandeb Strait, in order to "punish" Israel [Read more]