Crude oil prices are rising slightly on Monday, but over the last three sessions it has recorded the strongest increase in prices since October 2025. Investors fear that protests in Iran threaten crude oil supplies from the 4th largest oil producer in OPEC, brokers say.
A barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil delivered on II costs USD 59.22 on NYMEX in New York, up by 0.17%.
Brent on ICE for III is priced at USD 63.46 per barrel, up 0.19%, but after increasing on Thursday and Friday by a total of almost 6%.
Investors are concerned about the situation in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump said he was seriously considering launching an attack on Iran in response to the crackdown on anti-regime protests. However, he added that the Iranian authorities wanted to talk and that he might meet with them.
President Trump referred to the situation in Iran and his threats to use force during a conversation with journalists, and when asked whether he was seriously considering the option of attacking Iran, he confirmed that he was “looking at it.”
He added that he intended to meet the son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who is encouraging the US to attack the regime.
Donald Trump previously twice threatened the Iranian regime with a strong response if it shot at anti-regime protestors. The president added that he receives reports on the situation almost every hour.
“Some protesters died, trampled in panic, there were so many of them (…) and some were shot. I receive reports every hour and we will make a decision,” he said.
The US president also noted that he had “very strong options on the table.”
Donald Trump also revealed that “Iran's leaders” called him on Saturday and “want to negotiate.” He added that he might meet with them, but also assessed that he might be forced to act before the talks.
Referring to the possibility of Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces in the region or other U.S. facilities, Trump threatened that the U.S. “will respond with a force like it has never seen before.”
Meanwhile, the independent station Iran International reported on Sunday that, according to conservative estimates, at least 2,000 people died in protests in this country. people. Authorities in Tehran accused the US and Israel of inspiring the protests and warned that these countries could become targets of attacks.
Investors fear that the situation related to Iran may limit oil supplies from this producer.
For now, the possibility of disruption of oil exports from Iran – at the level of almost 2 million barrels per day – has eased market concerns about a global excess of oil, which is driving down prices and bearish sentiment among market players.
Meanwhile, the unrest in Iran has somewhat diverted investors' attention from Venezuela, where US special forces carried out an operation in Venezuela on January 3 and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, whom Trump accused of complicity in drug smuggling to the US.
The duties of the current leader were taken over by his deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, but the American administration announced that during the transition period, which may last years, the US will exercise actual control over the country.
On Friday, the US president said that due to the readiness of the Venezuelan authorities to cooperate, which, in his opinion, is evidenced by the release of a large number of political prisoners, he has given up on the second wave of attacks on this country.
“Venezuela is releasing many political prisoners as a sign of +pursuing peace+. This is a very important and wise gesture. The US and Venezuela are cooperating well, especially in rebuilding the oil and gas infrastructure in a much bigger, better and more modern form,” wrote Donald Trump on his Truth Social social media platform.
Meanwhile, on the night from Friday to Saturday, the Ukrainian army attacked a fuel base in the Volgograd Oblast, which supplies fuel to the Russian army, informed the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“The target was hit. The extent of the damage caused is being determined,” he wrote on Facebook.
Earlier, Russian regional authorities reported that a fire broke out at a fuel base in the Volgograd Oblast in Russia following a drone attack.
Ukraine attacked three oil platforms in the Caspian Sea belonging to the Russian oil giant Lukoil, which is aimed at weakening Russia's economic ability to finance military actions against Ukraine.
Among those who were directly hit were: Filanowski and Korchagin platforms. The scale of damage is being assessed. (PAP Business)
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