Crude oil prices mostly flat as Antony Blinken’s Middle East visit assessed
Oil prices were little moved in early trading on Tuesday, as market participants assessed a visit to the Middle East by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a ceasefire offer in the region. Blinken met Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler on Monday. Palestinians hope the visit will clinch a truce before a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah, a border city where about half the Gaza Strip population is sheltering.
The ceasefire offer, delivered to Hamas last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, awaits a reply from militants who say they want more guarantees it will bring an end to the four-month-old war.
