Shafaqna English– On Friday(14 Aug 2026), crude oil prices experienced a modest uptick following a fresh geopolitical development: the United States issued a warning regarding the potential imposition of an indefinite maritime blockade targeting Iran. This rhetoric promptly reignited market anxieties over potential disruptions to global crude supply.
The upward price movement, however, came on the heels of a prior session characterized by notable declines, which had been driven by two bearish factors — a deteriorating demand forecast and a substantial accumulation in American crude inventories.
Looking at the futures market, the internationally-traded Brent contract edged up by merely 1 cent, or 0.1%, to quote at $87.08 a barrel by 0247 GMT. On the other side of the Atlantic, the U.S.-grade WTI futures posted a slightly larger nominal gain of 6 cents, bringing its price to $81.31 per barrel, reflecting a modest but discernible divergence in the two benchmarks’ intraday movements.