West Texas Intermediate crude held firm on Wednesday while Brent also advanced, as Middle East supply-disruption fears outweighed a larger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude inventories in the week ending Aug. 7. U.S. crude stocks rose 9.07 million barrels, gasoline inventories fell 1.5 million barrels and distillate stocks declined 596,000 barrels. Traders focused on attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb and comments from Mohsen Rezaei that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless the U.S. accepted Iran’s conditions for ending the war.