U.S. Central Command said on September 8, 2026, that U.S. forces had sunk five Iranian oil tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched two ballistic missiles at U.S. Navy warships during the preceding two days. The attacks were neutralized, patrols continued and no U.S. personnel were injured. Reports of separate or additional strikes near Kharg Island and Jask described three Iranian crude tankers as permanently disabled, leaving differing accounts of the number and condition of vessels hit. Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about 20% of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war, pushed crude close to $100 a barrel. November Brent settled 0.95% higher at $97.92 after reaching $99.45 intraday, while West Texas Intermediate rose 1.69% to $93.03. Iranian oil loadings fell to about 260,000 barrels per day in August from 1.7 million barrels per day a year earlier as the U.S. blockade and Operation Economic Outcast constrained exports and Gulf producers used dark transits, shuttle shipping and ship-to-ship transfers to reroute supplies. Oil gains also helped the dollar index steady near 98.8 on Wednesday by reviving inflation concerns. Markets priced roughly a 60% chance of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate increase after stronger-than-expected Friday jobs data and awaited U.S. inflation data before the following week’s policy meeting. The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan were also expected to tighten policy that month, while the dollar remained under pressure against the yen after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned against betting on further weakness in the Japanese currency. Treasury sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and nine service providers and sales agents over alleged support for Mahan Air, while Iran continued threatening shipping near Kuwait and Bahrain and warned of a maritime exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf. Separately, Canadian tariffs on more than $20 billion of U.S. goods were due to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday U.S. time, while Qualcomm and Corning deals lifted AI-related stocks.