West Texas Intermediate crude fell for the third time in four days as the U.S. debated a military strike on Syria and Russia raised objections to intervention, clouding the prospects for an attack.

Futures dropped as much as 1.4 percent. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on a use-of-force resolution today. The international community’s credibility is on the line after Syria used chemical weapons against civilians, U.S. President Barack Obama said at a news conference today in Stockholm, repeating a claim that the Syrian government has denied. The Senate committee is considering a resolution that would give Obama a limited window in which to conduct a military operation. The draft legislation supports the use of force in a “limited and tailored manner against legitimate military targets” during a 60-day period following enactment, with a possible 30-day extension at Obama’s request. It explicitly doesn’t authorize use of ground troops in combat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. Congress has no right to approve military action against Syria.

WTI for October delivery dropped $1.22, or 1.1 percent, to $107.32 a barrel at 9:48 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The volume of all futures traded was 13 percent below the 100-day average.

Brent for October settlement slid $1, or 0.9 percent, to $114.68 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The volume of all futures traded was 23 percent above the 100-day average. Brent’s premium to WTI widened to $7.36 a barrel from $7.14 yesterday.

Gold becomes cheaper due to profit taking and technical selling after a significant increase on Tuesday, when U.S. President Barack Obama received the support of the Congress leaders in the plans of a military operation in Syria.

Obama is planning military strikes against Syria, secured the support of the leaders of the Congress , and Russia made ​​clear that it could agree to the use of force , if they are evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Government of Syria.

Gold prices recovered on the eve of the position above the level of $ 1,400 , when the top U.S. lawmakers have expressed support for President Barack Obama calls for a military strike against Syria. House Speaker John Boehner said that only the U.S. has the ability to stop the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and to prevent the use of chemical weapons by other countries.

Gold is widely considered to be protected from geopolitical instability , since it retains its value better than other assets.

Support prices also have a strike in the gold mines of South Africa.

The cost of the October gold futures on COMEX today dropped to $ 1385.70 per ounce.

GOLD 1,412.10 16.30 1.17%

OIL (WTI) 108.53 0.88 0.82%