America News Agency

Geopolitical tensions escalated again after the United States shot down an Iranian drone near an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, with oil futures extending gains from the previous session.

Although the incident unsettled energy markets, U.S. President Donald Trump stressed that diplomatic channels remain open, and the White House confirmed that U.S.-Iran talks are still scheduled for Friday. Another escalation came when Iranian vessels attacked a U.S.-flagged oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said the IRGC harassed the Stena Imperative.

Data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 11.1 million barrels last week, which would mark the largest decline since June if confirmed by official figures.

Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+), including Russia, expect oil demand to increase gradually from March or April and will decide on March 1 whether to resume monthly production increases after the first-quarter pause.