Oil prices slip more than 1% as talks continue on ending Iran war

Brent ended October at its highest level in six months amid concerns that the US-Iran conflict could escalate again after Tuesday's US midterm elections. "Oil is seeing a technical pullback this morning after last week's strong gains," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. "Lingering hopes of some form of diplomatic progress, combined with the absence of any ‌meaningful military escalation over the weekend, have taken some of the immediate heat out of prices for now."

However, the market remained alert to the possibility that rhetoric around Iran could be ratcheted higher and push Brent toward $120 after the midterm elections, Waterer said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the purpose of the "ongoing and progressing" talks was ​to continue consultations with the Qatari mediators, adding Tehran is prepared for "both defence and ‌diplomacy".

The talks come amid attacks on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz that are driving up global energy and shipping costs. ​In ‌October, Saudi Arabia increased crude exports versus September despite attacks by the Iran-aligned ‌Yemeni Houthis on its energy infrastructure, two of three ship-tracking companies said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, or ‌OPEC+, ​kept December production ​targets steady on Sunday, confirming expectations that more policy adjustments will not occur until next year, as the group continues to ‌struggle with export ​disruptions from the Iran war.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel First Published: Nov 02 2026 | 7:31 AM IST