The drop Movement.down.loss in oil futures to their weakest level Position.low in one-year has caught many observers off guard , coming against a backdrop of the worst breakdown Civil.unrest in Iraq this decade , heightened clashes Geopolitical.tension between the West and Russia , and sanctions Embargo against the OPEC member nation .

In 2011 , it was the breakdown Civil.unrest in OPEC member Libya that fueled gains Movement.up.gain , cutting Cause.movement.down.loss supplies by as much as 1.5 million barrels per day -LRB- bpd -RRB- ; later that year and in 2012 , it was U.S. and European sanctions Embargo on Iran that choked off Cause.movement.down.loss some of supply .