Global Gold Hits $4,354 an Ounce, Brent Crude Tops $91 a Barrel

Global gold and oil prices rose on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 (28 Mordad 1405), as the security crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continued. According to a data provider, spot gold gained $17.07 (0.39 percent) to reach $4,354.28 an ounce as of 06:43 Tehran time. At the same time, Oilprice.com reported Brent crude trading near 0.7 percent higher above $91 a barrel, with WTI crude up a similar amount around $85.50. Oilprice noted that erratic tanker traffic through Hormuz and recent security incidents, including an official UK Maritime Trade Operations warning about an unidentified projectile striking a vessel transiting the strait, are keeping a geopolitical risk premium in oil prices.