-- European natural gas futures were down on Thursday, reversing gains from earlier in the day, as seasonally weaker momentum and demand destruction began to weigh on the market.
The front-month Dutch TTF contract was down 0.65% to 46.56 euros ($54.44) per megawatt hour, while the UK NBP dropped 0.61% to 115.03 British pence ($1.54) per therm.
Seasonal factors are playing a key role in this behavior, along with "a fair amount of demand destruction," according to ING analysts, who also noted that current European gas prices don't reflect the scale of disruption the LNG market has endured owing to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump reportedly told Axios that he was rejecting Iran's proposal earlier this week to open the Strait, which involved delaying nuclear negotiations between the two countries.
Trump also said that the Naval blockade against Tehran would continue until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses all US concerns regarding its nuclear program.
The US Central Command is also reportedly preparing a "short and powerful" wave of strikes against Iran, aimed at breaking the current deadlock, Axios said, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
Centcom Commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, also noted on Wednesday that US forces had successfully diverted the 42nd vessel that was trying to violate the blockade against Iran. He said that as a result, there were "41 tankers and 69 million barrels of oil" that the Iranian regime in unable to sell.
Nonetheless, the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz remains closed for the ninth week running, with just 13 vessels transiting over the past 24 hours, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.
Shell (SHEL) CEO, Wael Sawan, warned on Wednesday that the oil and LNG shortages caused by the conflict could last for months, and possibly even into the next year, in an interview with Bloomberg.
Daniel Hynes, a senior commodity strategist at ANZ, noted that this would be problematic for Europe, "as it refills empty storage ahead of the next heating season."
Europe has begun reinjections at significantly depleted inventory levels, at just 32.23% of capacity, compared to 38.96% during the corresponding period a year ago, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.