Oil prices fell and Asian stocks climbed on Monday over hopes a deal between the United States and Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz could be brokered. The price of North Sea Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate slipped in Asian trade around five percent to $98.47 and $91.53 a barrel respectively at 0705 GMT.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Washington and Tehran appear close to agreeing on ending the Middle East war that has effectively closed the Hormuz strait, driving up energy prices and stoking global inflation. A deal could be announced “today”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday during an official visit to New Delhi. It came after US President Donald Trump said negotiations were being conducted in an “orderly and constructive manner”, cautioning that US negotiators had been advised “not to rush into a deal”. Several sticking points have tempered hopes of a resolution to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy corridor. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said that based on its information, key clauses in a possible agreement remained unresolved. One of the main obstacles has been whether Tehran is willing to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium. The possible release of Iran’s frozen assets held under longstanding US sanctions is another sticking point. And whether Lebanon, repeatedly targeted by Israeli strikes despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement, is included in the peace deal remains uncertain.