US crude inventories decline boosts oil prices + Iran fires again, early Wednesday session rebounds over 4%

1. Boosted by the news of a decline in US crude oil inventories, international oil prices rebounded sharply in early trading on Wednesday, with each barrel rising by more than $3, recovering part of the previous day's losses caused by the temporary halt in fighting between the US and Iran. Brent crude September futures once reached $87.60 per barrel, up 4.17%; WTI crude futures once climbed to $83.30 per barrel, an increase of about 5.2%. The latest reports show that Iran launched a missile attack on a US military base in Jordan.2. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), as of the week ending July 24, US crude oil inventories decreased by about 3.3 million barrels, gasoline inventories increased by 918,000 barrels, and distillate inventories increased by 355,000 barrels. The US Energy Information Administration's official inventory data will be released later on Wednesday.3. On the supply side, sources say OPEC+ may pause production increases for three months from October, after the scheduled return of voluntarily reduced crude supply, further supporting oil prices.4. On the geopolitical front, Trump stated on Tuesday that he had a "good conversation" with Iran, but warned that if negotiations failed, more strikes would be launched. Meanwhile, Iran denied that it was seeking to resume talks with the US. At the same time, Oman has submitted to Iran a proposal backed by Gulf countries to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz and collect voluntary toll fees from ships using the passage.5. According to US officials, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at a US military base located in Jordan. This is the first Iranian missile attack against a US base in the region since the US paused its military strikes on Iran last Friday.6. US Central Command later confirmed that the attack occurred at 5:45 PM US Eastern Time on July 28 (5:45 AM Beijing Time on July 29). Iran attempted a surprise attack on US troops stationed in the Middle East, but all incoming missiles were successfully intercepted. Central Command stated that US forces remain highly vigilant and on alert.