Singapore October 28 2024: Oil prices tumbled more than $3 a barrel on Monday after Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran over the weekend bypassed Tehran’s oil and nuclear facilities and did not disrupt energy supplies, easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Both Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures hit their lowest levels since Oct. 1 at the open. By 0139 GMT, Brent was at $72.70 a barrel, down $3.35, or 4.4%, while WTI slipped $3.27, or 4.6%, to $68.51 a barrel.
The benchmarks gained 4% last week in volatile trade as markets priced in uncertainty around the extent of Israel’s response to the Iranian missile attack on Oct. 1 and the U.S. election next month.
Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn on Saturday against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, in the latest exchange in the escalating conflict between the Middle Eastern rivals.
