Oil prices rise again after Trump threats and rumors over negotiations

Oil prices rose further overnight from Sunday to Monday following new threats from US President Donald Trump against Iran. A barrel of US WTI oil for May delivery rose more than 2 percent and cost around $113.91. The price of North Sea Brent crude for June delivery also rose by more than 2 percent to $111.37 per barrel.

In a message on his online platform Truth Social, Trump threatened on Sunday to attack energy supplies and bridges in Iran if the country does not reopen the key Strait of Hormuz. The US president appears to have postponed his ultimatum again to Tuesday at 8 p.m. local time in Washington (Wednesday 2 a.m. Belgian time).

Meanwhile, the American news site Axios writes that, based on four American, Israeli, and regional sources, representatives of the United States, Iran, and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a possible 45-day ceasefire. The negotiators are reportedly discussing an agreement in two phases. During the first phase of a possible 45-day ceasefire, negotiations would continue on a definitive end to the war in the Middle East.

In Haifa, Israël, two people died, and several were injured, after an Iranian missile hit a building. Later, at least five people died in Iran after attacks from Israël and the US.

_{A gas station in Pakistan| © PHOTO AFP}