- Turkish, Japanese tankers go through Hormuz strait -

A third Turkish-owned ship has passed through the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, Turkey's Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said.

Iran has closed the key waterway since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28 sending global oil and gas prices soaring.

Uraloglu said the "Ocean Thunder" was carrying crude oil from Iraq to Malaysia. Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said an Indian-flagged tanker owned by a subsidiary had also safely transited the strait.

- Oil fluctuates -

Oil prices eased in subdued Easter holiday trading as investors took encouragement from news of some tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"There is definitely some sort of volumes being shipped through the strait -- by far not at all normalising the commercial ship traffic -- but it's definitely a step in the right direction," SEB analyst Ole R. Hvalbye told AFP.

In afternoon trading, a barrel of the main Brent benchmark was off 0.8 percent at $108.20 with West Texas Intermediate down 1.4 percent at 110.01.

- IAEA warns on power plant strikes -

The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said attacks near Iran's Bushehr atomic power plant "pose a very real danger to nuclear safety and must stop".

The facility in the south of the country and equipped with a 1,000-megawatt reactor, has been targeted four times in the US-Israeli war on Iran, most recently on Saturday.

Strikes near the operating plant could cause "harmful consequences for people and the environment in Iran and beyond," said Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

- Wall Street sluggish -

Wall Street stocks barely moved markets monitored military developments in the Middle East while the White House said US President Donald Trump has not signed off on a deal for a 45-day ceasefire.

Around 90 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up around 0.2 percent with similar gains for the broad-based S&P 500 and the tech-rich Nasdaq.

- Iran petrochemical site hit -

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel has conducted a "powerful strike" on Iran's largest petrochemical facility in Assaluyeh and Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site.

"The Israel Defense Forces have just carried out a powerful strike on Iran's largest petrochemical facility, located in Assaluyeh -- a central target responsible for about 50 percent of the country's petrochemical production," Katz stated.

- South Korea, Taiwan, take Saudi option -

South Korea will send five Korean-flagged ships to the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu to establish alternative oil supply routes to the Strait of Hormuz, a ruling MP said.

South Korea relies on Middle East crude for around 70 percent of its imports. Taiwan, with a similar reliance on imports, said it will also redirect ships to bring crude from Saudi Red Sea ports.

- Indonesia aviation fuel hike -

Indonesia is raising its aviation fuel surcharge and will allow airlines to raise domestic ticket prices, which the government caps, by up to 13 percent.

Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto told reporters the fuel surcharge would rise from 10 to 38 percent, and the base ticket price between nine and 13 percent.

Sri Lanka meanwhile raised the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by nearly a quarter, after an eight percent hike last month, blaming the Iran war.

Colombo has warned that a prolonged war in the Middle East could seriously undermine efforts to emerge from its economic meltdown of 2022.

- Asia shares close higher -

Tokyo and Seoul shares closed higher, Tokyo, adding 0.6 percent and 1.4 percent respectively. Among other Asian markets open on Monday, Singapore gained 0.4 percent but Jakarta was down 0.5 percent.

Many markets in Asia and Europe were closed for Easter Monday, which coincided with China's Qingming Festival.

burs-cw/tw

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