Oil jumps 3pc after US quits Iran deal, US stock drawdown

NEW YORK: Oil prices rose more than 3 percent on Wednesday, after climbing to fresh 3-1/2 year highs, after a bigger-than-expected drawdown in U.S oil inventories extended gains from the United States' decision to quit a nuclear deal with Iran.

Ignoring pleas by allies, US President Trump on Tuesday pulled out of a 2015 international deal with Iran and announced the "highest level" of sanctions against the OPEC member, making investors nervous about rising risks of conflict in the Middle East and about oil supplies in a tight market.

The United States will likely re-impose sanctions against Iran after 180 days, unless some other agreement is reached.

Brent crude futures rose $2.33, or 3.1 percent, to $77.18 a barrel, by 12:36 p.m. EDT (1636 GMT). The global benchmark hit a session high of $77.43, the highest since November 2014.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $2.18 to $71.24 a barrel, a 3.2 percent gain.

Prices extended gains after US Energy Information Administration data showed domestic crude inventories  fell 2.2 million barrels in the latest week, far exceeding forecasts for a decrease of 719,000 barrels.

The EIA report helped lift US gasoline futures to $2.1674 a gallon, the highest since Hurricane Harvey sent prices surging in August. US heating oil futures surged to $2.2258 a gallon, the highest since Feb. 2015.

"This may one of the most bullish reports that I surveyed - even with domestic production rising to 10.7 million barrels per day," said John Kilduff, partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital LLC in New York. " uper-high gasoline demand and crude oil exports of nearly 2 million bpd, once again, add to the bullish tone."

Oil ministers from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said their countries will work closely with major OPEC and non-OPEC producers to lessen the impact of any supply shortages after US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Iran re-emerged as a major oil exporter in 2016 after international sanctions against it were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear program. The country, the third-biggest producer of crude within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, exported about 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in April.

Analysts' estimates of the possible reduction in Iranian crude supplies as a result of any new US sanctions range from 200,000 bpd to 1 million bpd.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a note that Trump's announcement brought upside risks to its forecast that Brent crude will hit $82.50 a barrel by the summer.

Several refiners in Asia said they were seeking alternatives to Iranian supplies.

A number of countries have already cut reliance on Iranian oil, as well as other "traditional" sources of supply, due to a surge in cheaper US crude exports.

Volumes jumped for all key crude oil futures contracts as investors took new positions and refiners hedged to protect themselves from higher feedstock prices.