Iran orders US Navy out of Gulf as Brent crude reaches $117

Oil markets reacted sharply to escalating military threats in the Persian Gulf, with Brent crude prices climbing to approximately $117 per barrel. This price point marks the highest level for the benchmark since April. The spike followed a direct order from Iranian military leadership to exclude US naval vessels from the region.

Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff for Iran's armed forces, issued the directive in a statement released by state media on Saturday morning. He declared that the US Navy cannot re-enter Iranian territorial waters or their immediate surroundings. Abdollahi stated that Iran can target any vessel operating in the area. "The US president can only dream of their soldiers and military again entering the Persian Gulf," he said.

President Donald Trump addressed the situation from a rally in Florida on Friday. He indicated that the White House has not yet decided on its next move in the conflict. Trump said the US military "may do another Epic Fury," a reference to the initial large-scale bombing campaign launched against Iran at the start of the war. He weighed the option of ending the fighting with massive strikes against letting the naval blockade and sanctions continue to pressure Tehran.

Abdollahi criticized American rhetoric as contradictory in his statement. He argued that US claims of destroying Iran's military capabilities are undermined by Washington's decision to keep aircraft carriers and support ships at a distance from Iranian territory. The Iranian chief of staff said forces intend to "drown" the US and Israel in a "quagmire" in retaliation for the surprise attack on February 28 that started the eight-month war.

Shipping activity around the Strait of Hormuz remains under attack. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or hit mines overnight into Thursday. On Friday, the group claimed two supertankers struck mines. The IRGC stated that its doctrine has shifted to a more offensive posture. Washington has reportedly ordered many diplomatic staff to leave Saudi Arabia, with more departures planned from other regional countries.

Combat operations expanded on other fronts on Saturday. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh, following recent attacks on Dammam's international airport and the Shaybah oilfield. Saudi forces responded by bombing Houthi-held areas, including Marib and Taiz. In southern Lebanon, reported Israeli air strikes hit areas around Nabatieh, and artillery fire fell near Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the occupied West Bank after a Palestinian attack killed two soldiers in Hebron. Netanyahu faces a general election on October 27. Iranian state-linked media claimed that Tehran has activated a "dead hand" doctrine. This protocol would allow attacks on US, Israeli, and regional interests to continue from all 31 provinces if senior leaders are assassinated.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have stalled. Senior diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy in Istanbul on Friday. Neither the US nor Iran attended the session. Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a new attack on Iran "would widen the war and spread the conflict across the region." He added that "no one is endorsing it at this point."

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul blamed Iran and the Houthis for regional instability. The four regional ministers stated that "Israeli occupation was the main source of instability." They supported the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June and demanded unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Nour News, an outlet affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the meeting showed a "gap between diplomatic claims and realities in the field."