US heating oil futures rose above $4 per gallon on Thursday, partially recovering losses from the previous session, as investors weighed conflicting signals from the US and Iran over a potential end to the conflict. Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington, emphasizing that mediated discussions do not constitute formal negotiations. By contrast, the White House maintains that peace talks are ongoing, while cautioning that military action could be intensified if Iran does not acknowledge its losses. Meanwhile, distillate inventories, including diesel and heating oil, rose by 3.0 million barrels in the week ending March 20, far exceeding analysts’ expectations of a 1.3 million-barrel draw and sharply reversing the prior week’s decline. Energy markets have been volatile since the start of the war, with heating oil prices up more than 50% this month due to supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
