[European natural gas prices rose to a three-year high as traders scrambled to replenish inventories] On September 8, European natural gas prices rose to a three-year high. As winter approaches, traders are scrambling to restock natural gas inventories while awaiting details of a deal between Iran and Oman over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. European benchmark natural gas futures rose as much as 3.4% on Tuesday to their highest level since January 2023. While Tehran says a deal with Oman is imminent and will include a temporary safe shipping route, how the U.S. will respond to the weekend attack on Iranian oil tankers remains unclear to traders and the risk of attacks on ships remains high. Attacks on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia also added more uncertainty to the market, pushing oil prices higher.