Oil prices tumbled on Thursday following an agreement signed by the US and Iran in Versailles, France, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Brent futures contract fell 1.7% at $78.23 per barrel. Murban futures closed at its lowest since late February at $74.31/bbl on June 16 and were not trading by the time of publication of this oil price update.
Bloomberg reported that US and Iran signed an interim agreement to end the conflict in the Middle East and reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
The memorandum of understanding immediately waives heavy US sanctions on Iranian oil exports and initiates a 60-day negotiation framework to formally settle broader nuclear issues, as per the report.
Despite the initial wave of market optimism over expanded crude supplies, energy logistics experts remain heavily cautious about an immediate normalization of maritime trade.
"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz and normalising trade flows are two very different things. Confidence around transiting the region remains fragile, freight continues to dominate discussions and insurance has yet to meaningfully improve," Kpler analysts said.
"On paper the waterway may be reopening, but that does not automatically mean business resumes as if nothing happened," Kpler analysts added.
Weekly domestic crude inventory report from the US Energy Information Administration noted that commercial crude stockpiles dropped by 8.3 million barrels to a total of 418.2 million barrels for the week ended June 12.