📈 Global Oil Prices Surge Amid Supply Chokepoints

• Market Figures: Brent futures eased 0.72% to US$ 99.97 a barrel (heading for a 13.5% weekly gain), while West Texas Intermediate dropped 0.76% to US$ 91.49 a barrel (on track for a 10.9% weekly rise). • Supply Disruptions: Red Sea shipping attacks by Houthi forces on oil tankers threaten the closure of the critical Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, following a declared naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. • Production Impacts: Kazakhstan temporarily scaled back output after suspected Ukrainian drone attacks forced the closure of its main Black Sea export terminal at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. • Geopolitical Tensions: U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to hold Iran responsible, exacerbating fears of constrained global energy supplies and heightened transport costs.