Oil rebounds after news of US strikes on Iranian military site

A person works near an oil tanker docked at the Port of Fujairah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2026. (Photo: Reuters)

NEW YORK, May 28 (Reuters) – Oil prices jumped about 2% in early Thursday trading after ​Reuters reported fresh U.S. strikes overnight on an Iranian ‌military site, escalating tensions even as Washington and Tehran negotiate to end their three-month conflict.

Brent crude futures rose $1.90, or 2.02%, to $96.19 ​a barrel by 0015 GMT, while the more active ​August contract gained $1.64 or 1.78%, to $93.89. The July ⁠contract is set to expire on Friday.

The U.S. West ​Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.73, or 1.95%, at $90.41.

Both benchmarks slipped ​more than 5% to touch their lowest in a month in the previous session on the possibility of a U.S.-Iran deal to ​end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The ​U.S. military launched new strikes in Iran targeting a military site that officials ‌believed ⁠posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial maritime traffic in the strait, a U.S. official told Reuters.

“Oil supply remains constrained, and key sticking points have yet to be ​resolved,” ANZ ​commodity strategist Daniel ⁠Hynes said in a note.

In the U.S., crude oil stockpiles fell by 2.8 million ​barrels last week, the sixth straight week ​of declines, ⁠according to American Petroleum Institute data.

Official inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration are due on Thursday, a day ⁠later ​than usual due to the Memorial ​Day holiday on Monday.