-- European natural gas futures were down on Friday, marking a reversal from earlier in the day, following reports that Iran's Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi was expected to arrive in Pakistan shortly.
Front-month Dutch TTF contracts were down 0.46% to 44.29 euros ($51.86) per megawatt hour, while UK NBP futures dropped 0.63% to 110.19 British pence ($1.49) per therm. The benchmarks were set to end the week up by 14.08% and 13.35%, respectively, according to data from Trading Economics.
Peace talks between the US and Iran could resume soon, with Araghchi set to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night, according to a Reuters report, citing three Pakistan-based sources.
Two of the sources, placed within the Pakistani government, have also said that a US Logistics and Security team was already in place for the potential talks to take place, Reuters said.
Meanwhile, there has been no confirmation regarding this from either Washington or Tehran, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth only saying that Iran has "a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal," during a press briefing on Friday.
The Strait of Hormuz continued to remain effectively closed for the eighth-straight week, with just five vessels transiting over the past 24 hours.
Even in the likelihood of a peace deal, which sees the Strait reopen right away, analysts aren't optimistic about a quick return to normal.
Michiel Engelaar, a Senior Finance Executive at Blue Water Strategy, warned that the "era of cheap, abundant, politically neutral gas is over," while pointing to the damage caused to Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG facility, the prolonged disruption in the Strait, and Europe's heavy dependence on US LNG supplies.
All of this comes at a time when Europe is stepping into reinjection season, with significantly depleted inventories, at just 30.82% of capacity, compared to 37.54% during the corresponding period a year ago, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe.