US crude surges 3.6%, settling at $70.53, after State Dept says oil buyers must cut Iranian imports to zero

Crude prices surged by more than 3 percent on Tuesday after the U.S. State Department said it will require companies to cut all oil imports from Iran to zero by November.

The announcement exacerbates concerns about a shortage of oil at a time when Venezuela's production is in terminal decline and the market is grappling with short-term supply disruptions from Canada and Libya. Last week, OPEC and other producers including Russia agreed to raise output to prevent price spikes.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures ended Tuesday's session up $2.45 a barrel, or 3.6 percent, to $70.53, erasing earlier losses and breaking above $70 for the first time since May 25. International benchmark Brent crude was up $1.60, or 2.1 percent, at $76.33 per barrel by 2:29 pm. ET.

"The U.S. is continuing its decision to completely isolate Iran," said Gene McGillian, vice president of market research at Tradition Energy. "They're ringing the bell even louder."

WTI intraday chart

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and restored wide-ranging sanctions against the Middle Eastern country in May, but the administration did not set a timeline for completely cutting Iranian crude imports.

Market-watchers questioned whether Trump would follow former President Barack Obama's model, which called on foreign companies to reduce their purchases by 20 percent every 180 days. But the State Department clarified on Tuesday that Trump expects buyers to entirely wind down those purchases by Nov. 4.

"This isn't unexpected. These people seem strident in what they want to do," said McGillian. "What the effect is going to be is going to be the difficult thing to measure. It could point to more demand for U.S. oil."

Iran, OPEC's third-biggest producer, exports more than 2 million barrels per day.

John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital, said Trump's decision appears calibrated to crush the Iranian regime, which has endured despite nearly 40 years of U.S. pressure.

"I'm seeing the companies — left, right and center — drop out from buying" Iranian oil, Kilduff said. "Total and Shell have announced they're not buying it anymore, starting now."

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