Oil prices jumped Wednesday over fears that Israel could be planning an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. International benchmark Brent Crude was up around 1.5% by mid afternoon in Asia. That followed reports by CNN that Israel is planning an air strike. It cited U.S. officials as a source. The report said Israel had been observed positioning munitions at air bases and conducting what could be a preparatory exercise. But CNN said it wasn’t clear if Israel had made a final decision to strike. Traders fear any attack could threaten crude supplies from Iran, the third-largest producer in the OPEC group of oil exporters. There are also concerns that Tehran could retaliate by blocking the movement of tankers through the Gulf. That’s a vital supply route for crude from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other nations. The U.S. and Iran have been holding talks on the future of the country’s nuclear programme, with Donald Trump at times suggesting a deal could be close. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week cast doubt on that. Speaking Tuesday he said he didn’t think the talks would bring any result. Even if there is a deal, the CNN report says that could make an Israeli air strike more likely, if it did not include the removal of Iran’s uranium stockpile.