Iranian Chief of Staff Bars US Navy From Gulf as Brent Crude Hits $117
New tanker attacks and a stalled diplomatic track have pushed oil prices to their highest point since April.
By Yasmin Farouk ·
Oil prices have surged to approximately $117 per barrel for Brent crude, marking the highest level since April. This spike follows a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and heightened military rhetoric between Washington and Tehran. The price increase directly impacts global energy costs and reflects the market’s response to renewed instability in the region’s key waterways.
The current conflict traces back to February 28, when a surprise attack by the United States and Israel began an eight-month war. That initial strike disrupted regional stability and led to a naval blockade and sanctions campaign against Iran. The war has since expanded beyond its original scope, drawing in allied groups and affecting multiple national borders.
Shipping lanes remain under active threat. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or struck mines during the overnight period into Thursday. On Friday, the IRGC claimed that two supertankers hit additional mines. These incidents have kept the strait, a critical chokepoint for global oil transport, in a state of high alert for commercial operators.
Tensions escalated further on Saturday when Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff of Iran's armed forces, issued a statement via state media. He declared that the US Navy cannot re-enter Iranian territorial waters or their immediate surroundings. Abdollahi stated that Iran can target any vessel in the region, adding that the US president can only dream of his soldiers returning to the Persian Gulf. This directive places a formal restriction on American naval movement in the area.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation during a rally in Florida on Friday. He indicated that the US military might launch another operation, referencing the previous bombing campaign as a potential "Epic Fury." Trump noted that Washington has not yet decided whether to end the fighting with massive strikes or to continue relying on the naval blockade and sanctions to pressure Tehran. This ambiguity leaves the next military step unclear.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have stalled. Senior diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met in Istanbul with counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. The United States and Iran were not present at these talks. Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkiye, stated that a new attack would widen the war. The regional ministers backed the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June and demanded unrestricted passage through the strait.
The war has expanded to other fronts. Houthi forces in Yemen attacked Riyadh on Saturday, following recent strikes on Dammam's airport and the Shaybah oilfield. In southern Lebanon, Israeli air strikes hit areas near Nabatieh. In the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown after two soldiers were killed in Hebron. These simultaneous actions demonstrate the regional spread of the conflict.
Iranian state media reports that Tehran has activated a "dead hand" doctrine. This strategy would allow attacks on US and Israeli interests to continue from all 31 provinces if senior leaders are killed again. The IRGC has also threatened to target seabed internet and communication cables if civilian infrastructure is hit again. US intelligence officials told Axios that Iran has substantially increased efforts to strike American officials in the Middle East.
Source: Al Jazeera
