Benchmark Brent crude, apparently reacting to the incident, rose in early trading Thursday to over $61, a 2.3% increase.
The timing was especially sensitive as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran on a high-stakes diplomacy mission. On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, Abe warned that any “accidental conflict” that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.
The Germans were just visiting, too.
Busy place, Tehran.