Iran confirms Strait of Hormuz service fees, rejects third-part intervention
Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Iran’s ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, said that Tehran is considering introducing new service fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while promising “special" treatment for countries that supported Iran during the recent conflict.
“As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees," Fazli said, while quickly adding that the charges should not be viewed as a “toll."
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry noted that “clearance of mines in the Strait of Hormuz is regulated by a relevant memorandum of understanding (MoU), and Tehran sees no need for third-party intervention”.
US Vice President JD Vance said oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its pre-war levels.
Separately, regarding peace negotiations, the country’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran will not enter into talks with the US on a final agreement until every clause of the MoU is implemented, including an end to hostilities in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
Market reaction
Despite these headlines, WTI – the US oil benchmark - remains on the back foot near $69 at the start of the week.
WTI Oil FAQs
WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.
Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.
The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.
Author
Dhwani Mehta
FXStreet
Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.
