Oil prices surge to over $115/barrel after Yemen’s Houthis attack Israel in Oil & Companies News 30/03/2026 Oil prices rose sharply on Monday after Yemen’s Houthi group attacked Israel over the weekend, pointing to a broader scope for the war in the Middle East. Continued hostilities between the U.S., Israel, and Iran also pointed to little de-escalation in the war, with Tehran stating that it was prepared for a U.S. ground invasion as Washington deployed more troops to the Middle East. Oil prices took few cues from U.S. President Donald Trump offering encouraging comments on negotiations with Iran. Brent oil futures jumped 2.7% to $115.55 a barrel by 00:43 ET (04:43 GMT), while West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.8% to $101.41 a barrel. Brent had initially surged as high as $116.43 a barrel. Houthi attacks could open new front in Iran war The Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis said on Sunday that they had launched a barrage of missiles against Israel, and vowed to launch more attacks. Their joining the war sparked concerns over a potential escalation in the conflict, given that the group has the capability to attack ships passing through the Red Sea. “The Houthis’ weekend involvement and the arrival of additional US troops underscore the conflict’s widening scope,” OCBC analysts said in a note. “With little prospect of an imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, our baseline remains for Brent to stay around USD100/bbl through mid‐year before gradually easing in 2H26.” Israeli forces said they were attacking targets across Iran’s capital over the weekend, while the U.S. said that it had deployed 3,500 troops in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli warship. Oil was sitting on stellar gains in March, with Brent up nearly 60% as the onset of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran greatly disrupted global supplies. Iran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that supplies 20% of the world’s oil consumption. Trump says Iran talks going well, says ceasefire could be soon Oil markets did little to stem their advance after Trump said on Sunday evening that negotiations with Iran were ongoing and a deal was close. “I think we’ll make a deal with them, but it’s possible we won’t… I do see a deal with Iran, could be soon,” Trump said, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump did not provide a clear timeline on a possible deal, but did call Iran’s new leaders “very reasonable.” Trump also claimed that Iran had allowed 20 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as concessions to the United States. Reports over the weekend showed 20 Pakistan-flagged oil tankers being allowed to cross the Strait. Pakistan said it was prepared to host talks between the U.S. and Iran after Washington proposed a ceasefire and called for negotiations. But Tehran has largely rejected the notion of direct talks with the U.S., and also accused Washington of secretly planning a ground invasion over the weekend. Separately, Trump told the Financial Times that he was open to taking over Iranian oil, while a Wall Street Journal report said the U.S. was considering seizing Iran’s uranium. Both moves could involve U.S. troops in Iran and would mark a major escalation in the conflict. Source: Investing.com 2026-03-30 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); j