A term contract for delivery of so-called Brent oil next month – a benchmark on the oil market – had risen to 66.42 dollars per barrel by seven o'clock in the morning.
CNN's information comes from several anonymous American intelligence sources. But it is unclear if the Israeli government has made any decisive decision to actually carry out the attack, reports the TV channel.
Despite the increase, the oil price has decreased by 11 percent so far this year. The market expects reduced demand in the wake of all economic uncertainty following the Trump administration's tariff shock, while major oil-producing countries in the oil cartel OPEC and Russia have decided to continue increasing production.
The oil trade has, however, been characterized by large price swings recently, given the signals that have emerged from the negotiations between the US and Iran regarding the Iranian nuclear energy program.
According to analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence, the oil price could plummet to 40 dollars per barrel if Western sanctions against Iran were lifted.
