# Brent Climbs to $90 After U.S.–Iran Strikes and Iranian Claims of Mined Supertanker in Hormuz

*Monday, August 31, 2026 at 6:18 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-08-31T06:18:08.689Z (3h ago)
**Category**: markets | **Region**: Global
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/16357.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Brent crude rose about 2.5–2.8% in a few hours to around $90 a barrel after overnight strikes between U.S. and Iranian forces and Iranian assertions that a supertanker hit naval mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices responded quickly to fresh tension around the Strait of Hormuz. In the hours after overnight strikes between U.S. and Iranian forces and new Iranian claims of a mined supertanker, Brent crude prices rose by roughly 2.5–2.8% to about $90 a barrel.

Reports from Washington say U.S. unmanned aircraft struck two IRGC launcher systems on Larak Island after U.S. officials said Iran was preparing to remotely drop naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz to obstruct commercial shipping. In parallel, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and army issued statements saying they attacked American targets at two air bases in Jordan — King Hussein Air Base and the base at Azraq — and at the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates, where U.S. forces are based. Iran also says it shot down a U.S. MQ‑9 drone over the Strait, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf.

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards state that a large oil supertanker in the southern Strait of Hormuz struck two naval mines, caught fire and had to stop. The IRGC Navy describes the vessel as a “supertanker” but has not provided its identity, flag, or cargo, and there is no independent confirmation so far from shipowners or international maritime authorities.

The combination of a U.S. strike on Iranian launcher systems, Iranian claims of strikes on U.S.‑linked bases, and reports of a damaged tanker focuses market attention on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea passage that handles a significant volume of seaborne oil exports from the Gulf. Traders typically factor in higher risk premiums when military activity and reports of mines raise the perceived danger to tankers and other commercial vessels.

For importing countries and fuel consumers, a move to around $90 a barrel raises costs for transport and industry and can feed into broader inflation pressures. For Gulf producers and shippers, any sign that mines or attacks are making the Strait less safe may force adjustments in how cargoes are routed and insured, even if traffic continues.

What happens next will depend on concrete developments. Confirmation that a supertanker has sustained serious mine damage, visible diversions or delays in tanker traffic through Hormuz, or further military exchanges between U.S. and Iranian forces around the Strait would be likely to influence prices. Official statements from the United States, Iran and Gulf states on the reported incidents will signal whether they are seeking to limit the confrontation or are preparing for a more prolonged standoff around one of the world’s key oil routes.