Oil closed lower on Thursday in international markets.

The August contract of WTI crude oil negotiated in New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) closed this Thursday (16) with a moderate drop of 0.82%, quoted at US$ 78.95/barrel. The September contract of Brent fell 0.85% in Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), trading at US$ 84.23/barrel. 

In this trading session, fuel prices were pressured by a technical profit-taking movement, driven by the robust gains recorded in previous sessions.

Limiting further losses, as reported by international media, the Iran He asked the Houthis, a paramilitary group in Yemen, to prepare to block the oil export route in Red Seain case the United States attack the energy infrastructure of the Persian country.

The group may block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in a joint action with the Somali militant group al-Shabab.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.