Sporadic fighting continued in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, Reuters reported on Thursday. Iran officials cast that as violating the terms of the less than day-old ceasefire, suggesting that it would be “unreasonable” to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the United States (US).
The warning from Iran’s lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, laid bare the continued volatility in the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz stopped after Israel expanded Lebanon strikes.
The White House announced the US would hold direct talks with Iran even as continued fighting in the Middle East. US Vice President JD Vance would lead an American delegation to Islamabad, with the first round of talks taking place Saturday morning local time.
According to CNN, Israel targeted more than 100 sites across Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces describing it as the largest coordinated strikes on the country since the war began.
Market reaction
At the time of writing, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is up 0.53% on the day at $91.40.
WTI Oil FAQs
WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.
Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.
The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.
Source: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/iran-says-peace-talks-would-be-unreasonable-as-israel-expands-lebanon-strikes-reuters-202604082330
