European natural-gas prices remained near three-week lows on Wednesday as markets assessed conflicting signals about a possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Front-month Dutch TTF fell about 0.6% to €72.90 per megawatt-hour, after an earlier reported 2.5% decline to €71.44 at 1423 GMT. Tehran communicated to Reuters that it could facilitate reopening the waterway within a week if the United States reduced its military presence and ended the blockade of Iranian ports, while a Sept. 22, 2026 post from The Hormuz Letter rejected those claims as "false, unreliable and lacking in accuracy." The uncertainty has reduced some geopolitical risk premium in European gas and crude markets, but restricted Hormuz flows continue to affect LNG shipments, particularly from Qatar. European storage was about 70% full, below typical seasonal levels, leaving prices vulnerable to colder weather and renewed supply disruptions. Norwegian infrastructure maintenance has also constrained pipeline supply, and the European Commission’s Gas Coordination Group is due to discuss the market situation on Thursday.