Oil Price Today (October 20): Crude oil nears $110 again as fresh attacks outweigh easing Russian sanctions. What are experts saying?

11% to $104 a barrel. 70 a barrel in the previous session, its highest level since May 20.

AgenciesFollowing a start in the red, oil prices again gained on Tuesday as markets assessed a US executive order easing some sanctions and tariffs linked to Russian energy exports, while fresh attacks in Saudi Arabia and Yemen kept concerns over Middle East supply disruptions alive. 11% to $104 a barrel.

70 a barrel in the previous session, its highest level since May 20. US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday night waiving key Russia-related sanctions and tariffs, including duties on Russian goods and penalties for countries buying its oil and gas.

However, Trump said on Saturday that he had yet to make a final decision on the matter. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials wanted more time to assess the situation.

43 million barrels per day, although output remained around 870,000 barrels per day below its level a year earlier, the International Energy Agency said last week. Attacks continueMeanwhile, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that they had launched several attacks on Saudi energy, airport and military targets.

These included an Aramco site in Yanbu, the Shaybah oilfield, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha airport. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the claims, and Reuters could not independently verify them.

Separately, a Houthi attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province on Monday killed 58 people and injured more than 200, according to reports. The renewed attacks added to concerns over regional stability and the risk of disruptions to energy supplies from the Middle East, keeping oil prices above $100 a barrel.

In the US, crude oil inventories were expected to have declined last week, along with stocks of refined petroleum products, according to a preliminary Reuters poll released on Monday. Where are prices headed?

Uncertainty remains over the course of the conflict. JPMorgan analysts said the war's eventual trajectory was difficult to model.

At the beginning of the conflict, the bank had expected the US administration to avoid crossing certain economic thresholds. Seven months later, many of those thresholds had been crossed, while a clear exit strategy remained elusive.