WTI Crude Opens 0.7% Higher as Iran Denies US Talks; Tanker Hit Mine in Strait

The denial of talks matters more than the headline price move: it removes the diplomatic off-ramp that would normally cap a geopolitical risk premium, leaving the market to price a purely physical supply threat. The tanker incident is the second signal from the same waterway, which raises the question of whether this is an isolated event or the start of a sustained disruption pattern. What to watch is whether the premium holds through the session or fades once the initial headline passes.