Oil prices jumped more than 5 per cent on Monday (April 20), on fears that the ceasefire between the US and Iran could collapse after the US seized an Iranian cargo ship, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stayed largely halted.
Brent crude futures advanced $5.08, or 5.62 per cent, to $95.46 a barrel by 0418 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate was at $88.86 a barrel, up $5.01, or 5.97 per cent, reported Reuters.
Both contracts tumbled by 9 per cent on
Friday, their largest daily declines since April 18, after Iran said passage
for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was open for the
remaining ceasefire period and US President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed
to never close the strait again.
"Within 24 hours
of Friday's 'completely open' announcement, there were already tankers that
were fired upon by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), leading to
more fears from the shippers on attempting to leave," said June Goh, a senior
oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities.
"Market
fundamentals are getting worse, as 10-11 million barrels per day of crude oil
remains shut in."
The US said on Sunday
that it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade while
Iran said it would retaliate amid growing worries of a resumption of
hostilities.
Tehran also said it
would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the US had hoped
to kick off before its two-week ceasefire with Iran expires this week.
The US has maintained
a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its own
blockade of the Strait, which handled roughly one-fifth of the world's oil
supply before the war began almost two months ago.
"Oil markets
continue to gyrate in response to oscillating social media posts by the US and
Iran, rather than the realities on the ground which remain challenging for oil
flows to resume in a rapid fashion," Saul Kavonic, MST Marquee's head of
research, said.
"The announcement
of the Strait opening proved premature," Kavonic said.
"Ship owners will
be twice shy about heading towards the Strait again without receiving much more
confidence that any announced passage is real."
More than 20 ships passed
the strait on Saturday carrying oil, liquefied petroleum gas, metals and
fertilizers, Kpler data showed, the highest number of vessels crossing the
waterway since March 1.