Oil Prices rise amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
Washington, Aug. 15 (SANA)Crude oil futures rose by more than a dollar a barrel at settlement on Friday amid escalating security tensions in theStrait of Hormuzfollowing attacks on oil tankers, coupled with little progress on a ceasefire agreement between theUnited Statesand Iran.
According to Reuters, Brent crude futures climbed $1.45, or 1.67%, to settle at $88.52 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained $1.15, or 1.42%, to close at $82.40 a barrel.
Weekly gains for both crude benchmarks reached nearly 6% for Brent and 5.4% for WTI.
On Thursday, theUAE‘s ADNOC announced that two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported.
Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported that an oil tanker was struck by a drone in the Strait, sustaining minor damage.