Crude oil prices started the week up slightly, holding on to gains made last week after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a guided missile submarine would be deployed to the Middle East. The move comes as Israel and its U.S. allies brace up for an attack by Iran and its regional allies in the Middle East in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and that of a senior Hezbollah figure in Lebanon. “Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel…
