Oil Prices Climb Toward $100 as Red Sea Risks Rise

Brent crude has broken back above $100 a barrel for the first time in nearly two months as escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea deepen concerns that the Middle East supply crisis is spreading beyond the Strait of Hormuz. As of mid-morning Thursday, front-month Brent for September delivery was trading at $100.69 a barrel, up more than 7% on the day after touching an intraday high of $101.01. WTI was also sharply higher, with the entire Brent forward curve moving higher as...

At least two tankers have turned away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemen’s Houthis said they have struck two Saudi tankers in the chokepoint in the latest Middle East war escalation, saying they had violated the naval blockade that the Yemeni forces declared earlier this week. According to reports, one of the tankers was loaded with Saudi crude for India and the other was carrying oil to China. “While it’s only two vessels so far, it suggests owners and operators are taking the threat...

Two China-owned and operated tankers loaded with Saudi crude continued on Thursday to travel in the Red Sea toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait despite the overnight Houthi attacks on Saudi vessels, ship-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg showed. The Cosco Shipping-operated tankers, the Xin Long Yang and the Cosnew Lake, are openly broadcasting their Chinese destination as they are traveling through the Red Sea approaching Bab el-Mandeb. Both China-owned tankers had loaded Saudi crude at Yanbu...

The last EU agreement about the latest sanctions package against Russia is being presented by Brussels as another demonstration of European unity and determination to sustain economic pressure on the Kremlin. Since February 2022, sanctions have been one of the EU's principal strategic instruments, targeting Russian banking, technology, defense industries and increasingly Russia’s energy sector. However, the negotiations surrounding the latest package have now revealed that Europe continues to...

India is on track to export the highest volume of refined petroleum products in months as refining margins have jumped with the re-escalation of the Middle East conflict. India is estimated to ship as many as 1.55 million barrels per day (bpd) of light and middle distillates in July, per data by commodity analysts Kpler cited by Reuters columnist Clyde Russell. The July volumes would be nearly double the fuel export volumes of just 866,000 bpd in May, when the Strait of Hormuz crisis hit crude...

The war in the Middle East has diminished the negotiating power that key regional LNG exporters Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have enjoyed for years. Importers of LNG from Europe to Asia plan to negotiate better terms in future long-term deals and ask for lower prices and higher contract flexibility, industry executives at LNG importing companies have told Reuters. For years, Qatar and the UAE commanded significant negotiating power, tied to their reliability as LNG suppliers. The...

Renewed Houthi blockade of Saudi Red Sea ports threatens up to 4 million bpd of redirected Saudi crude exports, adding fresh supply risks as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively disrupted The latest reignition of hostilities between the United States and Iran led to a spike in oil prices that, contrary to some observers’ expectations proved to be temporary. After jumping, prices once again moved lower, driven by hope for peace. Yet the recent announcement by Yemen’s Houthis that they would...

Since Middle East hostilities reignited, oil prices have soared higher, although they remain below the highs witnessed during April 2026. This can be blamed on U.S. strikes against Iran, with Tehran and Washington disrupting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global hydrocarbon supplies are shipped. This has sparked greater demand for Brazil’s high-quality oil grades, notably from Asia, because there is no need for shipments to pass through contested waters. This will...

The resumption of the Iran conflict, including the effective closures of the Strait of Hormuz and now the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb has driven up natural gas prices, particularly in Europe and Asia. Asia accounts for nearly 90% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from key Middle East producers like Qatar and the UAE, while Europe imports 7-11% of its LNG imports from the region. European gas prices surged to four-month highs amid fears the US-Iran war will cause winter shortages. As The...

Pakistan’s refiners are inquiring traders about potential crude oil supply from the U.S., Nigeria, Singapore, and central Asia, amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East that threatens supply from both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Following a meeting with the federal minister for petroleum and natural resources, who briefed industry representatives on the growing threats to crude oil supply, refiners have intensified efforts to secure cargoes from non-Middle Eastern producers,...

Surging oil prices have led to a significant increase in Japan’s import bill, hitting an all-time high last month of $89.46 billion, Reuters has reported, citing government data. The June total was 25.4% higher than a year earlier, as international oil prices rose by over 50% in the 12 months since last July, as cited by Saxo Bank. In the year to date, Brent crude and WTI have surged by over 60%. “Japan's diversification of oil procurement sources is progressing,...

The impact of the war between the United States and Iran on oil-importing nations in Asia could last years or even decades because of these countries’ heavy dependence on those imports, energy analyst Vandana Hari of Vanda Insight has warned. “There is a growing dependency on imports, and with that comes a dependency - or a vulnerability - to geopolitics,” Hari said at a Bloomberg event in Singapore. “I think we are in a geopolitical flux; I think this is going to remain with us for decades,...