TOKYO April 23 — Oil prices jumped 4 per cent Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so long as a US naval blockade remained in place despite a ceasefire extension.

At around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.06 per cent to US$96.73 (RM382.67) per barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.62 per cent to US$105.63 (RM417.88). Both eased back in the following minutes.

Oil prices have soared since Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28 and they have kept inching up on the uncertainty over whether war will resume.

As the clock ticked for a return to the war that has engulfed the region, US President Donald Trump had said Tuesday he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks.

Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement. — AFP