Oil prices lost ground as Mideast geopolitical tension eases

SINGAPORE, April 8 – Oil prices slipped 1% in early Asian trade on Monday as tensions in the Middle East eased after Israel withdrew more soldiers from southern Gaza and committed to fresh talks on a potential ceasefire in the six-month conflict.

Brent crude futures dropped 94 cents, or 1%, to USD 90.23 a barrel by 2253 GMT after hitting a session low of USD 90.01.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at USD 86.01 a barrel, down 90 cents, or 1%, after falling to as low as USD 85.80.

Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt for fresh talks on a potential ceasefire ahead of the Eid holidays, easing tensions in the Middle East that drove up oil prices by more than 4% last week on concerns of supply disruption.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Israel is ready to handle any scenario that may arise with Iran, after Tehran threatened to retaliate for the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.

The world’s top exporter, Saudi Arabia, raised official selling prices for all crude grades to Asia, in line with expectations.

US oil rigs rose two to 508 last week while gas rigs fell by two to 110, their lowest since Jan 2022, Baker Hughes said in its report on Friday.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Stephen Coates)