Oil prices were little changed early on Aug. 17 after surging more than 5% last week, as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend and no breakthrough emerged in the U.S.-Iran standoff. Brent crude futures rose 20 cents to $88.72 a barrel by 2350 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures slipped 5 cents to $82.35. The market had already rallied sharply after attacks on tankers operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the strait and on a Saudi Aramco refinery. Weekend developments kept supply-risk concerns in focus. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran had not decided to resume talks with the U.S., while U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices while the conflict continues. Shipping data also pointed to disruption: five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and none were registered for Sunday, according to Kpler, compared with 31 over the prior weekend. The United Arab Emirates also accused Iran of attacking a third vessel operated by ADNOC on Friday after blaming it for two other incidents involving ADNOC vessels on Thursday evening. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints, so even limited disruption can quickly feed into crude prices. Analysts say the market is balancing the risk of tighter supply against the possibility that alternative routes, workarounds or informal channels could cushion the impact.