Oil prices rose on Thursday after US President Donald Trump warned Iran that “time is running out” and said a “massive armada” was heading towards the region if Tehran failed to agree to a nuclear non-proliferation deal. Oil delivery disruptionsIf the US were to escalate militarily, it could disrupt oil flows to countries that still trade with Iran. Yet despite years of sanctions, Iran has retained access to oil markets, underlining the difficulty of fully enforcing restrictions on a high-value global commodity. Other destinations for Iranian oil and derivatives include Iraq, the UAE and Turkey, further complicating enforcement. “It’s extremely difficult to maintain comprehensive sanctions on oil,” Grozubinski said, “especially when it requires policing transactions between Iran and states that don’t fully share Western priorities.”