U.S. EIA crude inventories rose 2.479 mln barrels in the week to July 31; consensus expected a 1.506 mln-barrel draw, prior week showed a 7.167 mln-barrel draw.

Austrian former defence attaché and security analyst Wolfgang Pustai said an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz could be reached today or Thursday but it is too early to conclude. He said mediators are still clarifying key terms in a weak memorandum of understanding that helped trigger renewed violence. Pustai said the US would likely accept an Iran–Oman deal that confirms no transit fees and only charges for maritime services, but would reject any Iranian attempt to levy large transit fees that would violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) because of the precedent it would set for other strategic chokepoints. He described Trump’s inconsistent statements as an information‑war strategy targeted at three audiences — Republican voters, Iranians and international observers — and warned that reopening the Strait would be an important step but would not resolve the wider regional conflict.

俄羅斯國防部表示，俄羅斯在黑海地區擊沉了三艘貨船。