Brent crude breaks $100 amid Middle East strikes

OilPrice, in a 9 September 2026 market report by Tsvetana Paraskova, said Brent jumped about 2.25% to top $100 a barrel early Wednesday. The print cited is $100.12, the highest since 24 July.

This is a trade-wire account of an intraday Brent print above $100, tied to Middle East military escalation and tanker strikes as OilPrice reported them. It is not an OPEC+ production decision, and it is not confirmation that commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz has permanently stopped.

WTI rose about 1.80% to $94.67 in the same session narrative. OilPrice frames the move as a sizeable risk premium after renewed US-Iran hostilities, US strikes on Iranian oil tankers, and Iran and Houthi targeting of regional energy infrastructure, including in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

OilPrice reports that Centcom said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude carriers after IRGC ballistic-missile targeting of a US Navy warship. The named ships are M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island. Treat those named vessel strikes as Centcom's claim as carried by that report.

The same OilPrice piece says Iran fired ballistic missiles toward Jordan. Jordan Armed Forces, as cited there, said 20 were launched, 18 were intercepted or destroyed, and 2 fell on unpopulated areas, with no casualties recorded.

ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey, quoted in the report, say the market is still pricing a sizeable risk premium and that a restart of talks remains some way off.

The earlier spike path is on Finpresso as Brent closing above $90 after Larak launcher strikes. Related pressure points include Treasury OFAC designations of Iranian airlines, Waller's case for holding rates in September, and EU gas storage heading into winter LNG.

If you hedge fuel, freight, or inflation-sensitive rates, treat $100 Brent as a live risk-premium print tied to tanker strikes and US-Iran escalation, and refresh hedges before assuming a quick return below $100 on talks that ING still sees as distant.