%{{tag.tag}} {{articledata.title}} {{moment(articledata.cdate)}} @{{articledata.company.replace(" ","")}} comment Crude oil prices are down 4% on signs that there has been a de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Oil prices fell immediately after U.S. President Donald Trump walked back threats to strike Iran, saying the killing of pro-democracy protesters in the Islamic Republic had stopped. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, fell 4.13% to $63.79 U.S. a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, the U.S. standard, also declined 4% to trade at $59.38 U.S. a barrel. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Iran after mass unrest swept across the country, leading to a violent crackdown by the Islamic Republic's security forces. Trump had threatened to intervene if civilians were killed or executed by Iran's government. At one point Iran closed its airspace and the U.S. ordered Americans to leave the country. Oil prices spiked on news of the rising tensions and extended gains amid mounting concerns that a U.S. strike on Iran was imminent. However, oil prices are now trending lower after Trump appeared to signal a de-escalation in tensions and that the U.S. has no plans to attack the Middle Eastern country. In a note to clients, Deutsche Bank (DB) said that Trump's comments about the killings in Iran ceasing have been taken by markets as a sign that the U.S. will hold off on a military response. Oil prices have been volatile to start the year as geopolitical uncertainty escalates, and after the U.S. seized control of Venezuela's oil reserves, which are the largest in the world.