Oil Heads for Second Straight Weekly Gain
2026-04-30 23:28
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
WTI crude futures held above $105 per barrel on Friday and were set for a second weekly gain, amid dimming prospects for a US-Iran peace deal and expectations that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen anytime soon.
President Donald Trump reaffirmed that the US would maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports to intensify economic pressure.
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei also dampened prospects for a deal, pledging not to relinquish the Islamic Republic’s nuclear or missile capabilities and indicating that Tehran would retain control over the strait.
Meanwhile, analysts cautioned that several countries could soon face acute oil shortages, as the final shipments that departed the Persian Gulf have already arrived at their destinations.
US crude exports surged to record levels last week, with global buyers increasingly turning to American producers to offset disrupted Middle Eastern supply.