Investing.com -- U.S. crude futures closed slightly lower on Monday, following a choppy, volatile day of trading as a trio of nations joined Saudi Arabia in severing diplomatic ties with Iran, escalating Islamic sectarian conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, WTI crude for February delivery traded in a broad range between $36.34 and $38.37 a barrel, before settling at $36.80, down 0.26 or 0.69% on the session. At one point on Monday, U.S. crude futures reached their highest level since December 9 after surging by more than 3.5% in morning trading. Since soaring by more than 4% on December 22, volatility in energy markets has remained exceedingly high. Over the last eight sessions, WTI crude has closed in a positive or negative direction by at least 1% from its previous day's settlement level.
On the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), volatility in global crude prices was just as pronounced. North Brent Sea crude for February delivery wavered between $36.80 and $38.98 a barrel before closing at $37.28, to finish flat on the session. At Monday's highs, brent crude futures reached their highest level since Dec. 15. Meanwhile, the spread between the international and U.S. domestic benchmarks of crude stood at 0.48, above Thursday's closing level when brent traded at a premium of 0.25.
Energy prices surged in overnight trading in the aftermath of an attack on the Saudi embassy over the weekend, kingdom's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have deteriorated since the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others on Saturday for reportedly speaking out against the Saudi royal family.
On Monday, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan joined Riyadh in its row with Iran by severing or curtailing ties with Tehran. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, meanwhile, said it has canceled all flights to and from Iran, the Associated Press reported. Citing "blatant and dangerous interference," in the Middle East, Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled island kingdom, said in a statement on Monday that it has cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran. In addition, Saudi Arabia has reportedly recruited Sunni powers throughout the region, deepening the conflict with Iran.
It followed statements from Iranian officials over the weekend that a rise in crude oil exports is dependent on future global oil demand and should not further weaken oil prices. Speaking exclusively with the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said the nation expects to raise its crude oil exports by 1 million barrels per day in two phases after economic sanctions are eased later this year. The sanctions have halved Iranian exports to approximately 1.1 million bpd, from pre-sanction levels of 2.5 million bpd in 2012. Iran is not seeking to "distort the market," but is looking to "regain market share," Zanganeh added.
Last month, OPEC decided to leave its production ceiling unchanged, until Iran completes its highly-anticipated return to global markets. Oil prices, which slumped by 30% last year amid a glut of oversupply, will likely come under further pressure when Iran goes back online. Elsewhere, China said on Monday that it is "highly concerned," with the rising tensions in the Middle East in a rare public comment on geopolitical issues in the region. China also reported that its China Caixin PMI index fell by 0.4 points to 48.2 in December, considerably below analysts' forecasts for a 49.0 reading. Any reading below 50 provides indications of contraction in the manufacturing sector.
The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, gained more than 0.35% to an intraday high of 99.30, its highest level in two and a half weeks. The dollar was on pace for its sixth straight winning session.
Dollar-denominated commodities such as crude become more expensive for foreign purchasers when the dollar appreciates.