Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 1
Oil Slips as Iran Rejects Qatar Talks, Brent Holds at $72.72
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 1

Oil Slips as Iran Rejects Qatar Talks, Brent Holds at $72.72

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 1

Summary

  • Brent crude fell 0.3% to $72.72 a barrel on Wednesday and U.S. WTI lost 0.5% to $69.17 after Iran said it would not meet U.S. delegates in Qatar.
  • Tehran said Washington and Iran still must settle terms of the interim peace deal signed last month before moving to harder issues, including possible limits on Iran's nuclear program.
  • Jared Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Doha on Tuesday, but Qatar said they would meet mediators rather than hold direct talks with Iranian officials.
  • The June 17, 14-point memorandum aimed to pause fighting that had disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil traffic.
  • Despite the diplomatic setback, ING said the market still expects Middle East supply to recover; tanker traffic into the Persian Gulf has started to pick up, a potential brake on any oil rebound.

Insights

Why is the oil market ignoring a diplomatic setback and betting on Middle East supply recovery?
Is Iran's control over a vital oil strait a more powerful weapon than its nuclear program?