Two oil tankers were damaged on Thursday in a suspected attack near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, stoking fears that high-stakes diplomatic efforts won’t avert a military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. They come as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a rare ally of both Donald Trump and Iranian leaders, visits Tehran in an effort to ease tensions. Brent oil crude soared as much as 4.5 per cent and was trading at $62.07 a barrel at 10:42 a.m. in London. The incidents come a day after Iran-backed rebels in Yemen fired a missile at a Saudi airport, wounding 26 people. Houthi rebels last month hit oil infrastructure hundreds of kilometres inside Saudi Arabia, forcing it to temporarily close an oil pipeline.

Source: National Post June 13, 2019 12:00 UTC