Oil prices fall 1% on hopes of limited supply disruptions

On Friday, oil prices experienced a decline of about 1%, continuing a downward trend for a third consecutive day, but remained above the $100 mark. Brent crude futures dropped $1.01, or 1%, to $103.77 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures fell $1.03, or 1%, to $100.88 a barrel. Despite these losses, the markets largely disregarded worries about potential supply disruptions, even as Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis launched additional strikes along their shared border on Thursday, further escalating the Middle East conflict.

Previously, oil prices had reached four-month highs, driven by information suggesting that crude storage at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea export hub in Yanbu had been halted, and Riyadh had canceled some shipments to Europe following a recent attack on its East-West pipeline. The extent of the pipeline's reopening and the restoration of oil flows remains unclear, with estimates varying on the timeframe for restoration.

Three pumping stations within the pipeline were damaged, according to satellite imagery and industry sources. Saudi Arabia aims to recover a portion of the pipeline's capacity to Yanbu within days, following a significant attack on its East-West pipeline, which halted critical oil flow to the Red Sea. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is offering more crude shipments to Asian refiners via ship-to-ship transfers at Oman's Sohar port, potentially mitigating some supply disruptions caused by the pipeline attacks.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has indicated that oil should resume flowing through the pipeline within days. However, uncertainty persists, as JPMorgan stated that it lacks a definitive baseline outlook for oil markets for the first time since the onset of the US-Israeli war against Iran. This ongoing conflict has yet to reach peace talks between Iran and the US, which collapsed shortly after June's interim agreement.

The situation will be addressed during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, with an Iranian delegation expected to participate.