Oil prices moved higher on Wednesday after attacks on Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure and vessels navigating near the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about the reliability of global petroleum supplies. The rise in prices followed a strike on Saudi Aramco's main facility and accounts of vessels sustaining damage in waters along a heavily trafficked maritime corridor.

Brent crude futures added 91 cents — a gain of roughly 0.9% — pushing the contract to $106.60 a barrel at 1110 GMT on Wednesday. WTI, the benchmark crude price for the United States, posted a gain of $1.65, equivalent to 1.8% on the day, trading at $95.79 a barrel. That reading marked a peak not seen in over a fortnight, data from a broadcast outlet indicated.

Vessel incidents near the Strait of Hormuz raised concerns about potential interruptions to oil supplies. Tankers carrying petroleum products worldwide depend heavily on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the ocean's most heavily trafficked chokepoints. Unrest in the region has the potential to limit the volume of crude petroleum that producer nations are able to move through export channels.

Ongoing aerial bombardment between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement contributed to upward pressure on crude prices. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo noted that traders are factoring in the possibility of the hostilities disrupting oil flows out of the area. Oil shipments had continued up to that point, he noted, according to a broadcast news outlet.

A shift in methods for targeting vessels was disclosed in statements put out by the country's authorities. According to a statement carried by a news outlet, the country's approach shifted roughly ten days prior to the report. No additional details about the new approach were made available by those in charge.

Priyanka Sachdeva, market insights head at Phillip Nova, argued that Iran's public statements about moves that could counter US oil-price policy revealed the true motivations driving what she described as the ongoing diplomatic process.

A strike carried out by the Houthi movement targeted an administrative facility operated by Saudi Aramco in the city of Dhahran, within Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The energy ministry said Wednesday that a fire of limited scope had ignited in the wake of the attack. Rocket and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia were carried out by Houthi forces across the preceding seven days.

The strikes have been described as a response to Saudi Arabia's backing of forces aligned with the Yemeni government. Four separate strikes on Saudi Arabia's main international airport have been reported, though details remain unconfirmed. A news outlet reported that 13 people were killed when one of the attacks struck on Saturday.

Worries over the vulnerability of energy infrastructure and regional transit corridors grew in the wake of the strikes. A cargo vessel travelling through waters lying to the south of the Strait of Hormuz went down after striking an underwater mine. A blaze broke out aboard the vessel after it made contact with a mine, based on information released by the Revolutionary Guards Navy and carried by state media in Iran on Wednesday.

Two additional vessels had already been reported struck in waters near the Strait of Hormuz before this latest ship went down. Two vessels — a container ship and an oil tanker — were each struck by projectiles of undetermined origin inside the strait on Tuesday, according to a statement from United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, as broadcast by a news outlet.

Anticipated growth in Russian diesel shipments abroad may act as a moderating force on price swings. Hiroyuki Kikukawa, chief strategist at Nissan Securities Investment, told a news outlet that anticipated growth in Russian diesel exports could dampen supply-side pressure and, in doing so, keep price swings contained in both directions.

Trump indicated that Russia had committed to making diesel available on world markets, making the arrangement public on Friday of that week. A short-term relaxation of sanctions on Russian fuel was put in place by the administration, opening a pathway for greater volumes of that fuel to reach international markets.

Crude oil volumes flowing out of Russia ticked upward through September, yet the total still trailed the pace set twelve months prior. Output from Russian fields climbed by 65,000 barrels per day, bringing the total flow to 8.43 million barrels across a 24-hour period. Per IEA figures released Wednesday, daily oil output still trailed the equivalent period a year ago by roughly 870,000 barrels.

According to an IEA assessment, lifting restrictions on Russian diesel exports would not necessarily translate into greater availability on world markets. Constrained refinery throughput inside Russia means the adjustment is unlikely to shift the worldwide gasoil supply-demand picture in any meaningful way, the agency noted, as reported by a news outlet. Analysts indicated that tightness in diesel availability may persist through much of the coming year.