Oil prices rise on supply concerns as Houthis attack Saudi Arabia

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 72 cents, or 0.71%, to $102.72. For the month, Brent was on course to finish nearly 14% higher, while WTI was heading for a 15% jump to close above $100 for the first time since April. On Thursday, the Houthis said they had attacked several sites in Saudi Arabia, including its largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, the Rabigh refinery and an Aramco facility in Abqaiq, while a Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a cruise missile ‌launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom's western region.

"Continued kinetic action around the Strait of Hormuz amidst doubts of a viable diplomatic pathway are keeping oil prices elevated in expectation of an escalation of the conflict in coming weeks," said MST Marquee Head of Energy Research Saul Kavonic. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Vice President JD Vance had reached out to Iran to help ​the country get medical supplies, after US media reported Vance had written to Tehran's top ‌security official to revive peace talks.

Iran has received a letter from Vance but it has not responded to it yet, the country's semi-official Tasnim ​news agency ‌reported, while adding that Tehran wants the US to meet its conditions and "any position ‌that contradicts this framework is unacceptable." Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three tankers hit sea mines, exploded and caught fire while attempting to use an unauthorised route ‌south ​of the Strait ​of Hormuz.

Amid security concerns in the region, ExxonMobil and Chevron have cancelled plans for their executives to travel to the United Arab Emirates' ‌biggest oil show ​next week, two sources familiar with the developments told Reuters. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel First Published: Oct 30 2026 | 8:45 AM IST