RABAT / Anadolu

Futures prices of Brent crude jumped by about 2 percent on Friday, recording about $85.9 per barrel, as the US-Iran escalation continues.

US crude futures also rose by 2.3 percent, reaching about $80.8 per barrel, at 10:30 GMT.

For days, the United States has been striking several areas in Iran, while Tehran responds by targeting what it says are US targets in the region.

On Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the completion of a new wave of offensive strikes on Iran.

On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a ceasefire, and began negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar to end the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28.

However, US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 the end of the ceasefire due to renewed escalation, after Iran, a day earlier, attacked three ships while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they were not adhering to the navigation path it had set, prompting Washington to respond by launching attacks on sites inside Iran.

Washington supports the passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on a path different from that set by Iran, which Tehran rejects, asserting that it targets any ship that does not coordinate with it before crossing the strategic waterway for global energy supplies.