KONTAN.CO.ID - SINGAPORE. Oil prices fell on Monday, extending a slump from Friday that ended weeks of rallying, after President Donald Trump demanded that producer club OPEC raise output to soften the impact of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Brent crude futures were at $71.80 per barrel at 0215 GMT, down 35 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $62.91 per barrel, down 39 cents, or 0.6 percent, from their previous settlement.
Both benchmarks fell around 3 percent in the previous session. ANZ bank said on Monday oil prices "took a hit after President Trump indicated he had spoken with Saudi Arabia about reducing the impact of lower Iranian oil exports by increasing flows elsewhere." Trump said on Friday he called the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and told the cartel to lower oil prices. "Gasoline prices are coming down. I called up OPEC, I said you've got to bring them down. You've got to bring them down," Trump told reporters. The statement triggered a selloff, putting at least a temporary ceiling on a 40 percent price rally in oil prices since the start of the year. The rally had gained momentum in April after Trump tightened sanctions against Iran by ending all exemptions that major buyers especially in Asia previously had. Traders said the market was shifting its focus on the voluntary supply cuts led by the Middle East dominated producer club OPEC since the start of the year.