Global oil prices<\/a> climbed to their highest level in five months on Tuesday after Iran and its Houthi allies claimed attacks<\/a> on oil infrastructure in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The Brent crude futures price, a benchmark for global trading, topped $111 a barrel for the first time since May before retreating to $110.30 a barrel. The latest reading marks a rise of more than 55% since the Iran war began in late February.<\/p>\n An oil shortage continues to bedevil crude sellers, who typically pass along elevated costs to refiners, leading to higher prices<\/a> at the pump.<\/p>\n The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, or UKMTO, on Tuesday issued an advisory after it received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces off the coast of Oman.<\/p>\n Separately, Iranian state-run media reported on Tuesday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that two oil tankers hit naval mines south of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The reports came a day after Yemen-based Houthi militants claimed a wave of strikes on Saudia Arabia on Monday, including the Shaybah oil field as well as Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, a port city near a key transport corridor on the Red Sea.<\/p>\n A plume of black smoke rises near the Khurais pumping station of the East-West Pipeline in Saudi Arabia, east of Riyadh, October 4, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Planet Labs PBC\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The West Texas Intermediate futures price, a benchmark index for U.S. trading, also jumped on Tuesday. The price of U.S. oil prices stands at $105.75, a rise of more than 60% since the outbreak of the war.<\/p>\n The jump in oil prices arrived as affordability marks a top concern for voters ahead of early November’s midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. clocked in at $4.27 on Tuesday, according to AAA<\/a>. That figure amounts to a rise of nearly $1.30 since the start late February.<\/p>\n The Middle East conflict drove up fuel prices and catapulted U.S. inflation to a three-year high in May, but inflation eased slightly over the summer after a preliminary peace agreement established an on-again, off-again pause in fighting.<\/p>\n The tentative accord between the U.S. and Iran expired in August, giving way to continued attacks on oil infrastructure and ships in the region.<\/p>\n The U.S. — the world’s largest oil producer — imports a small amount of crude from the Middle East. Since oil and gas are sold on a global market, however, the shortage has sent prices rising for everyone, including U.S. drivers.<\/p>\n![\"Center](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/130b9239-dc30-41d7-88bc-aa0ce8773aa3\/saudi-pipeline-2-gty-gmh-261020_1792500335183_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Center")
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