Oil Prices Edge Lower as IEA Reduces Demand Forecast

Summary

  • Trump says talks with Tehran will continue
  • Large build in US crude stocks caps price gains
  • IEA lowers global oil demand forecast for 2026

(Reuters) – Oil prices slipped on Thursday as investors weighed the International Energy Agency’s lowering of its global oil demand forecast for 2026 against potential escalation of U.S.-Iran tensions.

Brent crude oil futures were down 19 cents, or 0.27%, at $69.21 a barrel by 1232 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 8 cents, or 0.12%, to $64.55.


Get the Latest US Focused Energy News Delivered to You! It’s FREE:


Global oil demand will rise more slowly than previously expected this year, the IEA said on Thursday while projecting a sizeable surplus despite outages that cut supply in January.

The Brent and WTI benchmarks reversed gains to turn negative after the IEA’s monthly report, having derived support earlier from concerns over the U.S.-Iran backdrop.

U.S. President Donald Trump said after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that they had yet to reach a definitive agreement on how to move forward with Iran but that negotiations with Tehran would continue.

Trump had said on Tuesday that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East if a deal is not reached with Iran. The date and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be announced.

A hefty build in U.S. crude inventories had capped the early price gains. U.S. crude inventories rose by 8.5 million barrels to 428.8 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said, far exceeding the 793,000 increase expected by analysts in a Reuters poll.

U.S. refinery utilisation rates dropped by 1.1 percentage points in the week to 89.4%, EIA data showed.

On the supply side, Russia’s seaborne oil products exports in January rose by 0.7% from December to 9.12 million metric tons on high fuel output and a seasonal drop in domestic demand, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.

Reporting by Enes Tunagur in London Additional reporting by Sam Li and Lewis Jackson in Beijing Editing by David Goodman

Share This:


More News Articles

 

  • Related Posts

    Phillips 66 Faces $900 Million Loss as Iran Crisis Lifts Oil Prices

    Energy prices soared after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil…

    US Crude Exports Test Limits as Shipping Constraints Mount

    By The war in Iran has sent demand for US oil from overseas toward record levels, bolstering President Donald Trump’s push for “American energy dominance.” But as shipments surge, exports…

    Have You Seen?

    Nikkiso CE&IG wins cryogenic pump contract for major German LNG site

    • April 7, 2026
    Nikkiso CE&IG wins cryogenic pump contract for major German LNG site

    Airgas provides high-pressure nitrogen for Artemis II

    • April 7, 2026
    Airgas provides high-pressure nitrogen for Artemis II

    INOXAP commissions first ultra-high purity liquid oxygen facility in India

    • April 7, 2026
    INOXAP commissions first ultra-high purity liquid oxygen facility in India

    LNG ships halted at strait deadline nears

    • April 7, 2026
    LNG ships halted at strait deadline nears

    U.S. Oil Premiums Hit Record High as World Scrambles for Crude

    • April 7, 2026
    U.S. Oil Premiums Hit Record High as World Scrambles for Crude

    Qatar’s LNG Exports Still Frozen as Two Tankers U-Turn at Hormuz

    • April 7, 2026
    Qatar’s LNG Exports Still Frozen as Two Tankers U-Turn at Hormuz

    India Back to Buying Venezuelan Crude

    • April 7, 2026
    India Back to Buying Venezuelan Crude

    Carbon Capture Edges Forward Despite Cost Challenge

    • April 7, 2026
    Carbon Capture Edges Forward Despite Cost Challenge

    Investors Press Amazon, Microsoft and Google on Water, Power Use in US Data Centers

    • April 7, 2026
    Investors Press Amazon, Microsoft and Google on Water, Power Use in US Data Centers

    US Crude Exports Test Limits as Shipping Constraints Mount

    • April 7, 2026
    US Crude Exports Test Limits as Shipping Constraints Mount