{"text":[[{"start":8.78,"text":"The oil price extended this week’s sharp fall on Tuesday, following a report of diplomatic progress between the US and Iran."}],[{"start":16.14,"text":"Brent crude prices fell 1.8 per cent to $102.84 a barrel, adding to a nearly 8 per cent drop on Monday, as traders pointed to an unconfirmed report in the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet that Washington and Tehran had made concessions in pursuit of a peace deal."}],[{"start":33.978,"text":"Separately, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop $4bn in US funding to Israel, with whom it launched attacks on Iran in late February."}],[{"start":46.56,"text":"West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, was down another 1.2 per cent at $95.34 a barrel."}],[{"start":54.64,"text":"Crude has been volatile in recent days as traders attempt to weigh the chance of the US and Israel resuming strikes against a possible breakthrough in efforts to end the more than eight-month-old conflict."}],[{"start":65.86,"text":"Brent had traded above $107 earlier on Tuesday, after US forces hit targets on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, in what American officials said was a “defensive measure”."}],[{"start":77.92,"text":"Trump has ruled out launching a new wave of major strikes against the Islamic republic before Americans vote in Tuesday’s midterm elections."}],[{"start":86.16,"text":"Brent settled 7.6 per cent lower at $104.77 a barrel on Monday, while WTI fell 7.4 per cent to $96.46 a barrel."}],[{"start":97.6,"text":"Monday’s sharp drops came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s supreme leader had granted the government “certain authorities” in negotiations aimed at securing a deal with the US."}],[{"start":109.44,"text":"Oil traders remain focused on the Iran war, which has dominated global energy markets since the US and Israel first attacked Tehran at the end of February."}],[{"start":118.68,"text":"Brent crude for December delivery climbed as high as $118 a barrel on its final day of trading on Friday, driven in part by fears that the US and Israel would embark on a fresh wave of strikes against Iran."}],[{"start":131.24,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793782710_8069.mp3"}