# Oil and gas prices fall sharply, driven by hopes of strait of Hormuz reopening – as it happened | Business | The Guardian

> Brent crude fell to $97.48 a barrel, down about $12 or nearly 11%, its lowest since April 22, amid hopes the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon. Oil and gas prices fell sharply on the same reports of a US-Iran deal.

- Date: 2026-05-06 · published 2026-05-06T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: geopolitics · region Middle East · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/9584-oil-and-gas-prices-fall-sharply-driven-by-hopes-of-strait-of-hormuz-reopening
- Commodities: [Crude Oil (Brent)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BRENT.md), [Natural Gas](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NATGAS.md)

## Why it matters

Expectations of Hormuz reopening lower the risk premium on crude and energy. Lower energy costs ease feed production and transport expenses, though supply recovery will take time.

## Read by commodity

- BRENT: bearish ▼
- NATGAS: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2026-05-07 | 5 | -18.0% | -3.6 | Hopes of Strait of Hormuz reopening pushed Brent down nearly 11% to its lowest since April 22, as expected restoration of Gulf export flows eased supply fears. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2026-04-17 | [Oil price drops below $90 a barrel after Iran says strait of Hormuz is open \| Oil \| The Guardian](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8812-oil-price-drops-below-90-a-barrel-after-iran-says-strait-of-hormuz-is-open-oil.md) | +1.3% | +0.6% |
| BRENT | 2026-03-08 | [Oil prices fall as Trump weighs taking over Strait of Hormuz](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6633-oil-prices-fall-as-trump-weighs-taking-over-strait-of-hormuz.md) | +9.5% | +25.6% |
| BRENT | 2026-04-17 | [Oil prices: Oil tumbles more than 10% as Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8808-oil-prices-oil-tumbles-more-than-10-as-iran-declares-strait-of-hormuz-open.md) | +1.3% | +0.6% |
| BRENT | 2026-10-29 | [Oil prices fall as hopes of US-Iran peace talks ease supply fears \| Commodity News - Business Standard](https://feedsoft.ai/events/253-oil-prices-fall-as-hopes-of-us-iran-peace-talks-ease-supply-fears-commodity.md) | -5.4% | — |
| BRENT | 2026-05-05 | [Oil prices fall 4% as fragile US-Iran ceasefire holds, two ships pass through Strait of Hormuz \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9581-oil-prices-fall-4-as-fragile-us-iran-ceasefire-holds-two-ships-pass-through.md) | -9.6% | -16.4% |
| NATGAS | 2026-04-17 | [Oil settles down 9% after Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8807-oil-settles-down-9-after-iran-declares-strait-of-hormuz-open-reuters.md) | -3.0% | +4.7% |
| NATGAS | 2026-03-10 | [Oil and gas prices fall after Trump says war is 'very complete' - BBC News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9387-oil-and-gas-prices-fall-after-trump-says-war-is-very-complete-bbc-news.md) | -5.0% | -7.7% |
| NATGAS | 2020-01-01 | [European Gas Prices Fall as Ukraine, Russia Deal Averts Crisis](https://feedsoft.ai/events/55767-european-gas-prices-fall-as-ukraine-russia-deal-averts-crisis.md) | -1.1% | -11.9% |

## Sources

- theguardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/may/06/oil-prices-retreat-global-stocks-hit-record-highs-trump-great-progress-iran-deal-live-updates

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.