WTI rebounds to $70.24 after U.S. strike on Iran targets

WTI crude moved from a $69.23 regular-session settlement to $70.24 in after-hours trading after U.S. Central Command said U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone-storage locations and coastal radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude moved from $71.99 to about $72.98 in the same after-hours window, according to MarketWatch price reporting.

The catalyst was not a routine energy-market recap. CENTCOM said Iran hit the Singapore-flagged M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone while the cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast. The command said the June 26 U.S. strike targeted Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites.

The market impact matters because the Strait of Hormuz remains the pricing reference point for a large share of Gulf crude and LNG flows. In regular trading, oil had been lower for the week as traders focused on improving shipping lanes and possible de-escalation. The after-hours move reversed part of that decline because the U.S. response introduced a new military-action variable into weekend risk models.

MarketWatch reported WTI’s move to $70.24 from $69.23 and Brent’s move to roughly $72.98 from $71.99 after the U.S. confirmation. The size of the move was modest compared with earlier 2026 Hormuz spikes, but the timing was material: the announcement landed after the regular settlement and before a weekend when physical shipping headlines can gap futures at the next open.

The next data points are operational rather than forecast-based: whether commercial vessels keep using the Omani-coast route, whether Iran answers the U.S. strike, and whether insurers change war-risk premiums for tankers transiting the strait. For oil-linked equities, refiners, airlines and Gulf-exposed shipping names, the immediate question is whether the after-hours premium survives into the next full futures session.

Not investment advice. Verify all figures with primary sources before acting.