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Oil Prices Bounce Higher After New US Strikes on Iran
US officials said the strike targeted a threat to US forces and commercial traffic, while four Iranian drones were shot down, Reuters reported.
On Thursday, the United States military struck a control center in Bandar Abbas, Iran, and intercepted Iranian drones launched overnight. An American official described the actions as "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire."
These developments follow a recent escalation in aerial attacks, testing a shaky ceasefire. The ongoing conflict has halted shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz for months, creating economic uncertainty for global markets dependent on the waterway.
Brent North Sea crude rose 1.8 per cent to $95.95 a barrel on Thursday morning, while West Texas Intermediate increased 1.7 per cent to $90.17. Price jumps erased Wednesday's declines driven by hopes for an imminent peace deal.
Madison Cartwright, a senior geo-economics analyst at CBA, put a 70 per cent probability on a ceasefire deal within two weeks. He warned insurance costs through the strait remain "prohibitively expensive," leaving the region's fate uncertain.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war persist despite renewed hostilities. US President Donald Trump threatened to "finish the job" if a peace deal is not reached, maintaining pressure on all parties to negotiate.