Brent Rises 1% Near $97 as US-Iran Ship Attacks Trap Hormuz Oil Route
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 6
Brent Rises 1% Near $97 as US-Iran Ship Attacks Trap Hormuz Oil Route
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 6
Summary
Brent crude climbed about 1% to nearly $97 a barrel on Sunday, while WTI rose to just over $92 after U.S. and Iranian forces traded attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
Those gains came as analysts described a lethal stalemate around the strait, where the war has choked shipments since late February despite U.S. military efforts to escort millions of barrels out of the Persian Gulf.
OPEC+ kept October production flat — its first pause since April — underscoring how earlier output increases have done little to offset disrupted exports and trade flows.
U.S. consumers are already feeling the squeeze: AAA put the national average gasoline price near $4.15 a gallon over Labor Day weekend, almost 40% above the prewar $2.98 average, while fares to top domestic destinations were up nearly 20% from a year ago.
The supply strain has widened beyond the Gulf, with Russia-Ukraine fighting also knocking out Russian refineries and tightening global capacity to turn crude into gasoline and diesel.