KEMETIC MINDS — BREAKING NEWS
September 11, 2026
Oil prices jumped 6% on Thursday, pushing both major benchmarks above $100 a barrel after Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen’s port of Mocha and attacks on shipping in the region intensified [1].
Brent crude futures rose $5.87, or 5.8%, to $107.08 a barrel by 1:20 p.m. ET — 7:20 a.m. in Hawaii — their highest level since mid-May. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $5.57, or 5.8%, to $101.62, topping $100 for the first time since May [1].
Key Facts
- Brent crude futures hit $107.08 a barrel, up $5.87 or 5.8%, their highest since mid-May [1].
- West Texas Intermediate rose $5.57, or 5.8%, to $101.62, its first move above $100 since May [1].
- Both benchmarks have climbed more than 30% from lows touched in early August, after a permanent U.S.-Iran agreement to cease attacks never materialized and fighting resumed [1].
- Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen’s port of Mocha on Thursday, posing a further threat to Red Sea traffic [1].
- Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, after the U.S. hit five Iranian oil tankers [1].
Why Traders Are Watching Two Chokepoints at Once
Gulf traffic remains restricted through the Strait of Hormuz as tanker attacks in the region have intensified in recent days. The Houthi takeover of Mocha, a Yemeni port on the Red Sea, adds a second route to the risk list [1].
Traders are pricing in further disruptions to already tight supplies, the report said [1].
Simon-Peter Massabni, head of business development at XS.com, said attacks from Yemen on Saudi energy facilities introduce a fresh source of market risk, expanding concerns beyond Iran and the Strait of Hormuz [1].
“The threat is no longer confined to a single choke point, but now includes the potential for disruptions to ripple across regional export routes, oil production sites and other energy infrastructure,” Massabni said [1].
S&P Global Energy, in an analysis quoted in the report, described the shift as durable rather than temporary.
“With prospects for a definitive resolution to the Iran conflict dimmed and Brent crude prices recently topping $100 for the first time since July, crude oil markets are now settling into a prolonged new normal where disruption risk is persistent, not episodic,” the analysis said [1].
What that means for households and businesses: the price of crude feeds directly into fuel, shipping and freight costs, and neither of the two waterways named in the report has reopened.
Trump Says the War May Outlast the November Midterms
President Donald Trump warned the U.S. may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, located near its heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, and said the war would likely last beyond the November midterm elections [1].
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would escalate its response to any further attacks, according to the report [1].
The tanker attacks the report describes as the biggest spike since the Iran war began are the immediate trigger for Thursday’s move, but the price climb began earlier — both benchmarks were already rising before this week.
What’s Still Unconfirmed
The report does not specify how many new attacks on shipping occurred in the recent spike, nor does it name the party responsible for each one; Iran’s statement that it struck 10 ships near the strait and the U.S. strike on five Iranian oil tankers are attributed to those governments [1].
No casualty figures, vessel names or damage assessments were provided for the Houthi takeover of Mocha or for the tanker attacks [1].
Only an excerpt of the S&P Global Energy analysis is quoted, and the article gives Brent’s high as its highest since mid-May while the quoted analysis refers to Brent topping $100 “for the first time since July” [1].
This account rests on a single report by Reuters journalists Nicole Jao, Robert Harvey and Sethuraman NR, carried by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; no independent figures have been published for the attacks or for conditions at Mocha [1].
Black Excellence This Week
The hard news is real, and so is this. Wins reported by the Black press in the last 14 days:
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What You Can Do This Week
Not just bad news — here is where to push.
- Call your U.S. representative and demand a vote on releasing Strategic Petroleum Reserve barrels to blunt the price spike from the Red Sea tanker attacks. — Find your U.S. representative
- Urge your two senators to back emergency legislation protecting U.S. shippers and gas consumers as Houthi seizures shut the Mocha port route. — Find your U.S. senators
- Attend your city council meeting and press for a local fuel-shortage and transit contingency plan before $100 oil hits your commute. — Attend your city council meeting (USA.gov local officials)
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- Honolulu Star-Advertiser. (2026, September 10). Oil surges 6% after new tanker attacks in Middle East. staradvertiser.com ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f ↩g ↩h ↩i ↩j ↩k ↩l ↩m ↩n ↩o ↩p ↩q ↩r
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