Middle East Crude-Benchmarks jump to one-week high after more attacks on Saudi

SINGAPORE, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Spot premiums for Middle East crude benchmarks Oman and Dubai jumped on Thursday to over one-week high after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns over a broader escalation of conflict and further disruptions to supplies.

Brent prices rose to their highest since May on Thursday. O/R

The US State Department has ordered some diplomats and family members to leave its missions in Saudi Arabia and plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the Middle East, US officials told Reuters.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis struck several targets in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with at least one person killed and eight more wounded at a civilian airport in Dammam, and two people killed in a drone attack on a Saudi oil field.

Explosions were also heard in Sirik in southern Iran, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, saying the nature and origin of the explosions were unknown.

SPOT

Aramco Trading issued a tender to sell Khafji crude for loading in December to January, trade sources said on Thursday.

Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemicals has bought 2 million barrels of Oman crude for January delivery via a tender closed on Wednesday, trade sources said. Formosa bought the cargo at a premium of $3-4 per barrel to Dubai quotes from Trafigura, they added.

SINGAPORE CASH DEALS

Cash Dubai's premium to swaps rose $2.67 to $8.25 a barrel.

BP will deliver a December-loading Oman crude cargo to Trafigura following the deals.

PRICES ($/BBL)

NEWS

The US has extended the deadline for companies to negotiate with Russian oil major Lukoil LKOH.MM about buying its foreign assets until November 21, according to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Oil product inventories held in Asia's key fuel trading hub Singapore declined to a three-week low, government data showed on Thursday, driven by a fall in middle and light distillate stocks.

Saudi Arabia and its oil giant are seeking to partner with other countries to expand their strategic stockpile as it sees oil demand increasing to 3 million barrels per day after the Iran war, CEO Amin Nasser told Al Arabiya Business TV on Thursday.

For crude prices, oil product cracks and refining margins, please click on the RICs below.