Brent tops $90 as US-Iran strikes choke Hormuz oil traffic

Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel Monday, its highest level in more than a month, as fighting between the United States and Iran kept disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. US benchmark WTI climbed to about $84.84. Reuters reported four vessels transited the strait on Sunday, down from eight a day earlier, after a week in which both oil contracts surged about 16%. The latest jump followed a ninth straight night of US attacks on Iran and fresh Iranian strikes reported by Kuwait and Bahrain. The conflict has also raised the threat of a wider supply squeeze, with Iran pressing Houthi allies to be ready to shut the Red Sea route if US attacks hit Iranian power infrastructure.