Oil Holds Near $92 as US-Iran Ceasefire Stays Unsigned and Hormuz Reopens Slowly

In the energy market right now, the most significant figure is one that has barely changed. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, ended May near $92 a barrel after falling about 19 percent over the month, according to CNBC's reporting, as traders factored in optimism that the United States and Iran would formalize a pause in their war.

That optimism remains incomplete. Iran has reasserted its control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil passes, even though no final agreement has been reached, Al Jazeera reported. The US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the United States holds more than sufficient weapons stockpiles to resume the war if a satisfactory deal is not reached, the Japan Times reported. Iran's government, for its part, has denied that any final agreement on ending the conflict exists, The Hindu noted in its live coverage.

The accounts diverge on how close a deal is. US officials have signaled that President Donald Trump was nearing a decision on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to pause hostilities, while Iranian and regional sources describe the terms as unsettled. The neutral reading is that fighting has paused without a binding settlement, which leaves the largest single risk to oil supply formally unresolved.

Analysts caution that even a reopened strait would not restore normal flows quickly. A US economist cited by Japan's Jiji Press said normalizing the crude market would take time, because global inventories have already drawn down sharply and shipping, insurance, and tanker routing do not recover the moment a ceasefire is announced.