Brent Tops $114 on Friday Morning, Its Highest Since Early May, Heading for a Third Straight Weekly Gain

Oil prices kept climbing in trading on Friday morning, 23 October 2026 (1 Aban 1405). According to Reuters, as relayed by Arzdigital, Brent rose 1 percent to $114.3 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate gained 1.3 percent to $100.78, moving above $100. Sahmino's own quote for Brent at 11:29 Tehran time was $114.25, 1.3 percent above Thursday's close.

Reuters put Thursday's (22 October) close at $113.17, the highest close since May; Sahmino's recorded series shows $112.78 for the same day. Brent is on course for a third straight weekly gain. Today's price is still about 3.7 percent below the $118.58 peak of 19 March 2026 (28 Esfand 1404), so it is not a record.

The main driver is concern over disruption to West Asian energy supply: missile and drone attacks attributed to Yemen's armed forces on southern Saudi Arabia, which reportedly set off sirens in Abha and Khamis Mushait, and continued fighting near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Analysts at ING say the risk of a wider conflict in the Persian Gulf keeps traders pricing in supply disruption. Higher energy prices matter directly to Iran, where oil and petrochemical exports are a major part of the economy.