European natural gas futures extended losses in after-hours trade on Friday, pulling back from a one-month high reached earlier in the week as markets monitored renewed US-Iran diplomatic efforts despite recent military tensions.
The front-month Dutch TTF contract fell 3.786% to 48.205 euros ($55.13) per megawatt hour, while the UK front-month NBP contract declined 3.915% to 116.100 British pence ($1.56) per therm.
Prices had climbed earlier in the week after Iran attacked vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over potential disruptions to global energy flows, and the US attacked Iran in a major military action. The gains eased on Friday after US President Donald Trump said Washington had agreed to resume talks with Tehran at Iran's request.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the ceasefire is over!" Trump said in a social media post.
Iran has not yet publicly confirmed its willingness to restart negotiations.
Trump initially declared the ceasefire over on Wednesday during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, following Iran's reported strikes on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.
Despite the retreat in prices, Europe's gas market remains under pressure from low inventories ahead of the winter heating season. EU gas storage facilities were 51.10% full, compared with 61.59% during the same period last year, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe data. Inventories were also well below the five-year average of 66.3% for this time of year, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.
The Middle East conflict and the potential risk of disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have complicated efforts to rebuild inventories, and strong cooling demand during a series of heatwaves across Europe has added further pressure on supply.
Europe is experiencing its third heatwave of the summer after one of the most severe heat events in five decades pushed temperatures to record levels across several countries, according to Copernicus, the European Union's climate monitoring service. Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with the region bearing the brunt of the extreme heat, it said.