
Brent crude rises following US-Iran peace talks
- US and Iranian officials agreed to a 60-day roadmap towards a final peace deal during high-level talks in Switzerland.
- Brent crude futures rose by more than US$1 to US$81.66 a barrel following a rocky start to the negotiations.
- The agreement aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and establish a mechanism to end fighting in Lebanon.
The price of Brent crude rose by more than US$1 to US$81.66 a barrel following the conclusion of high-level diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland.
This market movement contrasts with the prior week when oil prices tumbled to levels unseen since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
"These things are always a little bit messy," said United States Vice President JD Vance.
Secondary details from the joint statement by mediators Qatar and Pakistan outline a mechanism to end fighting in Lebanon and the opening of a communications line to ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The implementation of the 60-day roadmap will now be handled by technical staff who are remaining at the Swiss resort for further discussions. Following the announcement, the Brent crude price was up at US$81.66.
The negotiations followed a memorandum of understanding reached last week to extend a tenuous ceasefire from April for at least another 60 days to avert a global economic depression.
Prior to this agreement, shipping data from analytics firm Kpler showed traffic through the strait had dropped to five vessels on Sunday compared to 26 ships a day earlier.