Brent crude breaks above $90 a barrel, up more than 2.5% amid Hormuz tensions

Brent crude broke above $90 a barrel on the evening of Monday, August 17, 2026, trading near $90.9, up more than 2.5% (about $2.4) from the previous day. According to tgju.org, Brent's intraday high today reached $91.08, a level consistent with Oilprice.com's reading of $90.77, up 2.54%.

The rise came as rhetoric between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz intensified, even as the US president had claimed earlier the same day that oil was flowing out of the region at an increasing pace and prices were set to fall.