{"text":[[{"start":10.72,"text":"Oil prices fell on Monday, easing back from the $117 a barrel mark touched in a burst of volatile trading on Friday, as traders remain focused on the Middle East conflict. "}],[{"start":21.11,"text":"Brent crude, the international benchmark, was down 1.3 per cent at $115.18 in early trading in London while WTI, the US benchmark, was 1.8 per cent lower at $101.41. "}],[{"start":35.96,"text":"The steadier trading follows a frantic session on Friday when oil prices surged to five-month high, partly driven by fears that US President Donald Trump will launch fresh attacks on Iran after the US midterm elections. "}],[{"start":48.27,"text":"Oil prices have climbed in recent weeks as the prospect of a prolonged disruption to supply has intensified and inventories of crude continue to diminish. "}],[{"start":57.050000000000004,"text":"Trump on Sunday raised the prospect of either launching fresh attacks against Iran or striking a deal with Tehran. "},{"start":63.20400000000001,"text":"“It is the only question,” Trump told Fox News. "}],[{"start":67.23,"text":"As prices eased back from Friday’s highs, some analysts pointed to the visit over the past week of Qatari officials to Tehran. "}],[{"start":75.03,"text":"Iran is also set to host senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in Tehran on Monday for talks on regional security. "},{"start":82.709,"text":"Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, announced the planned visit in an interview with Iranian state television. "}],[{"start":91.45,"text":"He said the initiative could mark the beginning of efforts to build “a region characterised by stability, calm and progress”, without giving further details. "}],[{"start":99.63,"text":"The meeting comes as Iran last week stepped up strikes on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. "},{"start":105.072,"text":"In a sign of the escalating tensions, the US last week pulled some diplomatic staff and their relatives from Saudi Arabia because of increased attacks on the kingdom by Yemen-based Houthi rebels. "}],[{"start":115.21,"text":"Analysts at Barclays noted: “Intensifying Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, continuing attacks on tankers and uncertainty about the US administration’s path of action after the midterms imply a substantial geopolitical premium on oil prices. ”"}],[{"start":129.2,"text":"Trump’s UN ambassador warned on Friday in an FT interview that the US was preparing for a protracted conflict with Iran. "}],[{"start":136.78,"text":"Prices for oil deliveries in the coming months show that traders expect elevated prices to persist for longer than previously anticipated. "}],[{"start":144.32,"text":"Brent for delivery as late as April 2027 was trading at just under $100 a barrel on Monday. "}],[{"start":150.54,"text":"Wall Street was set to open higher, with futures for both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq up more than 0.2 per cent. "},{"start":157.807,"text":"Asian stock markets were broadly flat, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 0.4 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 0.5 per cent. "}],[{"start":167.41,"text":"With reporting by Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran "}],[{"start":170.44,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793002687_3039.mp3"}