Brent crude prices jumped 7% in the session as fresh reports of air strikes in the Middle East triggered a sharp repricing of geopolitical risk.
The move marks a significant reversal from the recent period of relative calm, where shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz had begun to normalize and prices had retreated toward pre-war levels.
The surge reflects immediate market anxiety over the potential for supply constraints.
Investors are rapidly unwinding the risk-off positioning that characterized the previous week, as the renewed military activity suggests that the de-escalation trend may have been premature.
The volatility underscores how quickly sentiment can shift in the energy complex when physical security threats re-emerge.
This development follows a period of intense price action earlier in the week, when crude had already recorded its largest two-day percentage gain in four months amid flaring tensions. The current spike indicates that the market is now pricing in a higher probability of sustained disruption to critical energy infrastructure and shipping lanes.
Traders will be closely monitoring the duration and intensity of the strikes, as well as any diplomatic responses from key regional actors.