The U.S. military has reduced recommended escort-support transit windows for merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz to two per day, according to the Financial Times, as a prolonged confrontation with Iran increases the operational and financial cost of protecting commercial shipping. The Navy’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping, or NCAGS, told maritime officials that the limit had applied since early September. Ships are not required to use the windows, but NCAGS recommends them for the strongest available support. Since May, the U.S. military has provided air-defense support for merchant vessels traveling along Oman’s coast south of the strait. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Baghaei said Hormuz would remain under Iran’s full control, while Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the strait on September 9 and about 70 merchant ships had been attacked since February. Iranian and Gulf officials were expected to meet in Oman on Monday to discuss shipping through Hormuz, after Iran and Oman discussed a temporary route and short-term demining measures. Iran has linked transit rights to broader negotiations, and market expectations of restoring normal passage by the September 15 deadline weakened. Iran-aligned Houthi forces consolidated control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including positions near Bab el-Mandeb and reportedly toward Perim Island. Saudi Arabia kept its East-West crude pipeline shut after drone attacks launched from Iraq caused injuries and damage, removing an alternative route from eastern oil fields to Yanbu on the Red Sea. Crude settled near $100 a barrel after rising 9.7% for the week; Brent exceeded $100 for the first time since July and traded near $107 before Friday’s decline. The EIA raised its 2027 U.S. crude-production forecast to 14.3 million barrels a day, while the IEA projected a 2.5 million-barrel-a-day contraction in 2026 global oil demand. China raised retail gasoline and diesel prices, and around 46,000 people were displaced by intensified Yemen fighting, according to the UN migration agency. Joshua Tallis of the Center for Naval Analyses said advanced U.S. military aircraft cost $25,000 to $75,000 an hour, underscoring the financial pressure behind the reduced escort schedule.