Finance1 min read

Brent crude falls below $90 for first time since August on Iran war de-escalation hopes

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Optimism over peace talks emerged after President Donald Trump noted that Tehran was engaging diplomatically, driving sharp losses across major oil benchmarks. Global fuel prices have spent months elevated due to refining bottlenecks tied to the Russia-Ukraine war alongside Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia. These persistent retail costs and prolonged military actions contributed directly to Republican midterm election defeats according to top administration officials. Despite the pullback in prices, energy analysts warn that formal negotiations could falter over non-negotiable security demands.

Key points

  • Crude shipments navigating the crucial Strait of Hormuz have largely returned to normal o…: Crude shipments navigating the crucial Strait of Hormuz have largely returned to normal operating levels.
  • Energy analysts warn that negotiations remain fragile due to lingering disputes over Iran…: Energy analysts warn that negotiations remain fragile due to lingering disputes over Iranian enriched nuclear material.
  • Political fallout from high fuel prices and regional conflict contributed significantly t…: Political fallout from high fuel prices and regional conflict contributed significantly to recent Republican midterm election losses.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

International oil benchmark Brent Crude fell below $90 a barrel for the first time since August on Tuesday as comments from U.S. President Donald Trump fueled hopes for an end to Washington's nearly nine-month conflict with Iran.

Brent, the price gauge for around 80% of global crude, was 2.65% lower at $90.14 at 5:33 a.m. ET after contracts with January expiry dipped below $90 earlier in the morning.

U.S. WTI Crude was down 2.4% at $84.78 a barrel.

Trump said on Monday that the war with Iran could end "fairly soon" and that Tehran was "talking very politely" with Washington.

"We're seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it's going to be ending fairly soon," he said at the White House following a meeting with Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. "Iran militarily is effectively over," Trump told reporters.

Trump also said in a Truth Social post that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait would "prefer the status quo," namely maintaining a naval blockade against Iran and preventing the country from using…

Finance