
Oil and gas prices fell sharply on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was nearing an end.
Crude oil was trading at $120 a barrel on Monday amid fears the conflict would disrupt energy supplies from the Middle East, but fell to $92 after Trump's comments. Gas prices also fell and stock markets around Europe and Asia recovered...
The boss of Saudi oil giant Aramco, Amin Nasser, has warned of catastrophic consequences if the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil trade, remains blocked. Nearly a fifth of the world's oil usually passes through Hormuz, but traffic has been paralyzed since the war began more than a week ago.
According to Nasser, oil reserves were at their lowest level in five years and the supply disruption meant they would be used up at a faster pace. "The longer the disruption lasts... the more drastic the consequences for the global economy will be," he warned.
On Monday, US President Trump calmed markets when he declared that they had undertaken a small excursion because they felt they would eliminate an evil.
"You'll see it's going to be a short excursion," were his words. Later, the White House chief warned that if Iran did anything to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the US would strike 20 times harder than it had done so far.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded that in response to what it called the US president's nonsense, the Iranian armed forces will not allow the export of a single liter of oil from the region.