Friday, August 21, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (October) $93.63 | WTI (Oct) $86.77 Brent -0.15, WTI -0.06, Brent up 5.4% and WTI up 4.8% this week, both having touched their highest since July 24 Thursday. Treasury Secretary Bessent said the U.S. will impose the toughest sanctions in history on Iran with the aim of collapsing the regime, promising details Monday; Iran called the response "devastating" and its Armed Forces chief of staff threatened crushing retaliation across land

Thursday, August 20, 2026 | 6:15 AM ET Brent (October) $93.81 | WTI (September, expires today) $88.05 | WTI (October) $86.64 Brent +$2.19, WTI +$2.22 on the expiring September contract and +$2.25 on the more active October contract, both benchmarks at their highest since late July for a fifth straight session of gains. Hormuz traffic was unchanged Wednesday from the prior day as talks remain deadlocked; the UAE's suspension of all financial and economic dealings with Iran con

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 | 6:15 AM ET Brent (October) $91.22 | WTI (September) $85.09 Brent +0.35, WTI +0.59, both on track for a third straight gain, touching their highest since July 30 and July 31 respectively. A senior Iranian official said Iran will shift to a "fully offensive" military posture as talks toward a permanent peace stall, while Washington ruled out extending the temporary ceasefire. A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile exiting Hormuz Tuesday, with a

Monday, August 17, 2026 | 6:30 AM ET Brent (October) $89.33 | WTI (September) $82.82 Brent +0.81 after a session high of $89.68, WTI +0.42, both little changed after gaining more than 5% last week on tanker attacks and the Jazan refinery strike. Hormuz traffic collapsed over the weekend, five vessels Saturday and none registered Sunday versus 31 the prior weekend, following fresh tanker attacks. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah flared in Lebanon, with Israeli strikes kil

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | 6:20 AM ET Brent (October) $89.64 | WTI (September) $84.04 Brent +$1.92 (+2.2%), WTI +$1.91 (+2.3%), extending Monday's more than 5% jump after Trump demanded Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, complicating the reopening effort. Trump separately said the U.S. controls the strait and has swept it for Iranian mines. Hormuz traffic fell to six vessels Monday against a 10-day average of about 11; Barclays estimates cr

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (October) $80.87 | WTI (September) $76.67 Brent +$1.51 (+1.9%), WTI +90 cents (+1.2%), bouncing after Tuesday's 5% drop that took Brent below $80 for the first time since July 13. The Houthis said they launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off Yanbu; separately, the India-flagged tanker MSV Faize Noore Oliya, reportedly carrying Saudi oil, sank in the Red Sea Tuesday after being hit by a projectile, with all 13 Indian cre

Monday, August 2, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (October) $83.40 | WTI (September) $79.39 Brent -$4.53 (-5.2%), WTI -$5.28 (-6.2%), both marking their biggest daily falls since last Monday and retracing from a three-week low hit earlier in the session. Trump said Saturday on Truth Social that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries asked for time to complete a deal reopening Hormuz, but Iran's foreign ministry said Monday no talks with the U.S. are underway or scheduled. OPEC+ appr

Friday, July 31, 2026 | 6:30 AM ET Brent (Sept) $89.50 | WTI (September) $84.17 Brent +0.47, WTI +0.58, both on track for a monthly rise. Iran's Revolutionary Guards stopped two tankers from transiting Hormuz and forced four others to change course, per Fars; two VLCCs carrying Gulf-loaded crude did exit the strait Friday, though traffic remains thin. ADNOC has bought five VLCCs for about $590 million to expand its own fleet as the Red Sea and Hormuz crises tighten tanker ava

Thursday, July 30, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (September, expires Friday) $91.15 | Brent (October) $87.91 | WTI (September) $86.47 September Brent +0.41 after a session low of $89.02; October Brent -0.18. WTI hovering near yesterday's $84.46 settle after a session low of $83.21. CENTCOM struck dozens of IRGC targets overnight in a two-hour operation following Iranian ballistic missiles fired at U.S. forces. CPC confirmed two tankers, the Nissos Sifnos and the Marathi, were attac

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | 6:30 AM ET Brent (October) $85.71 | WTI (September) $83.02 Brent +$3.71 (+4.5%), WTI +$3.76 (+4.7%). The U.S. and Saudi Arabia struck Iran-backed groups in Iraq Wednesday over drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, hours after the U.S. military said it intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. troops. Tehran has ruled out Oman's regional Hormuz management proposal. API data showed U.S. crude stocks fell about 3.3 million barrels last w

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 | 6:00 AM ET Brent (September) $86.00 | WTI (September) $80.72 Brent -$2.36 (-2.7%), WTI -$1.89 (-2.3%), both at their lowest since July 17. Trump said Monday the U.S. is having good talks with Iran and sees a chance of resolution, though he warned strikes would resume if talks fail and Iran issued matching threats. Bab el-Mandeb traffic rose to 28 vessels Monday, a four-day high, while Hormuz traffic stayed scant; Saudi Arabia says it shot down drones

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (September) $94.39 | WTI (September) $87.35 Brent +$3.38, WTI +$3.01, both touching their highest levels since June 11 after Brent hit a session high of $95.47. The U.S. military carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, following Kuwaiti air defenses intercepting Iranian drones. Three tankers carrying Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea Tuesday rather than risk the Yemeni coast, redirecting t

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 | 6:30 AM ET Brent (September) $89.58 | WTI (September) $82.86 Brent +0.36 (+0.5%), WTI +0.36 (+0.6%); the expiring August WTI contract was up 0.26 on its final trading day. Hormuz crossings extended their slide after fresh U.S. and Iranian attacks overnight, and a tanker in the strait was struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon ship. Reports of a mediator-proposed 10-day ceasefire aimed at reviving the June MOU capped early gains,

Monday, July 20, 2026 | 6:20 AM ET Brent (September) $88.08 | WTI (August) $82.04 Brent -0.02 (flat) after touching $91.42 overnight, its highest since June 11; WTI -0.45 (-0.5%) after touching $85.39, its highest since June 12. Both benchmarks gave back gains after Iran's foreign ministry said negotiations with the U.S. could be pursued based on national interests. Hormuz transits remain depressed at four vessels Sunday, down from eight Saturday. Bottom Line The overnight hi

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | 6:30 AM ET Brent (September) $87.21 | WTI (August) $80.89 Brent +3.91 (+4.7%), WTI +2.75 (+3.5%), highest levels since before the MOU was signed on June 17. Dubai forward curve has flipped from contango back into backwardation, with August trading at a $1.35 to $1.40 premium to September versus a 25 to 30 cent discount on Monday. Oman futures at a $2.50 to $3.00 premium to Dubai versus a $1.50 discount a day earlier. U.S. reinstates Iran naval blockad

Monday, July 13, 2026 | 6:45 ET Brent (September) $78.40 | WTI (August) $73.79 Brent +2.39 (+3.1%), WTI +2.38 (+3.3%). Hormuz traffic fell to a five-week low Sunday with only six vessels transiting, all in dark mode. No ships observed transiting Monday morning on AIS. Iran declares Hormuz closed after unauthorized vessel struck; IRGC attacks U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain; Qatar suspends all maritime vessel activity; dark mode transits return; ADNOC cuts August Murban OSP t

Friday, July 10, 2026 Brent (September) $76.11 | WTI (August) $71.97 Brent -0.19 (-0.3%), WTI -0.11 (-0.2%), modest Friday pullback after a week of sharp gains. Brent up approximately 6% on the week, WTI up roughly 5%. Absence of new U.S. strikes overnight capping further upside. Hormuz tanker traffic near standstill Thursday; IEA warns escalation could upend 2027 surplus forecast, cuts Russian output outlook 85,000-150,000 bpd; IEA confirms global inventories rose 21 million

Thursday, July 9, 2026 Brent (September) $78.87 | WTI (August) $74.23 Brent +0.85 (+1.1%), WTI +0.71 (+1.0%), off session lows with prices moving higher as this brief goes out. Iran has fired ballistic missiles into Jordan, with the U.S. Embassy in Amman issuing shelter-in-place guidance. War underwriters advising shipping companies to pause Hormuz voyages. Russia bans diesel exports until July 31 after Ukrainian refinery strikes; European diesel margins at record $60 per bar

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 | 6:45 AM ET Brent (September) $77.89 | WTI (August) $73.94 Brent +3.73 (+5.0%), WTI +3.50 (+5.0%), highest since June 22. Both contracts rose approximately 3% Tuesday after the U.S. revoked the Iranian oil sales license before adding further gains Wednesday. Four tankers have turned back from Hormuz transit attempts. Trump says MOU is over and he does not want to engage with Tehran; Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, shoots dow

Monday, July 6, 2026 Brent (September) $71.71 | WTI (August) $68.39 Brent -0.41 (-0.6%), WTI -0.30 (-0.4%). No WTI settlement Friday due to Independence Day holiday. Both contracts little changed on the week after weeks of declines, now trading near pre-war levels. OPEC+ agrees 188,000 bpd August output hike; Gulf exports recover to 10 million bpd in June, still 40% below pre-war; UAE records a June export high of 3.7 to 3.8 million bpd; 98 tankers crossed Hormuz June 22 to 2