OREANDA-NEWS. Oil prices rose on the news of the death of a major Iranian military commander Kassem Suleimani as a result of US air strikes. Brent crude added more than 3% and rose in price to 68.25 dollars per barrel, according to trading data. At maximum, Brent oil reached $ 68.86 per barrel.

A senior Iranian commander, Kassem Suleimani, was killed on Friday in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad's international airport. The Pentagon said US President Donald Trump ordered "kill Suleymani" for "defensive purposes" after the recent riots at the embassy in Baghdad. According to the Pentagon, Suleimani was developing plans to attack American diplomats in Baghdad and throughout the region.

After the death of Suleimani, Trump posted on his Twitter page an image of the American flag without any further explanation. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called the events on Friday night an act of international terrorism by the United States, which leads to an escalation of the situation. He noted that Washington bears all responsibility for what happened.