Iranian General Threatens U.S. Forces as Oil Rises on Hormuz Risk

Iranian army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia tied any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to a U.S. withdrawal Friday, as oil benchmarks climbed amid threats to Middle East supply routes.

In an Oct. 16 post, Akraminia said the strait would reopen if the United States left the region and threatened to expel U.S. forces if they stayed. He did not give a timetable for escalation or specify which U.S. forces he meant.

Brent crude futures touched $110 per barrel during Friday trading before settling at $109.86, up 3.7%, at 2:30 p.m. ET (18:30 UTC). U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate settled at $101.41, up 3.5%. For the week, Brent rose 4.9% and WTI gained 10.4%.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Yanbu, two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in southern Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh region on Friday. It did not identify who launched them.

The Strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. It carried an average of 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products in 2025, about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption.