Premiums for Middle Eastern oil produced outside the Persian Gulf have climbed to their highest level since March as concerns over prolonged supply disruptions intensified. Dubai crude premiums roughly doubled to $12.74 per barrel during September 8-14, while Oman premiums reached $12.62, their highest since late May. These costs came on top of elevated benchmark prices: dated Brent exceeded $100 per barrel in early September for the first time since May, while some North Sea grades approached $110. Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz fell from about 20 million barrels per day to roughly 11.7 million, a decline of more than 40%. Asian refiners in China, India, Japan, and South Korea paid about $24 per barrel in premiums for US and West African crude scheduled for December loading. The renewed September escalation, including threats and reported attacks on tanker routes, revived the risk premium (extra cost for supply uncertainty) after a partial recovery in shipping traffic. OPEC+ (oil producers coordinating output) has spare capacity on paper, but the conflict complicates efforts to move additional barrels through contested waters.