International oil prices declined last Friday after China, at Saudi Arabia's request, urged Iran to help restrain Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities, temporarily easing fears of a broader Middle East supply crisis. Brent crude for November delivery fell $0.95, or 0.9%, to $104.87 a barrel, while WTI for October delivery dropped $1.61, or 1.6%, to $100.30. Both benchmarks remained above $100. WTI gained 0.3% for the week, while Brent fell 0.7%. The market is now focused on whether shipping through the Strait of Hormuz can recover and how quickly Saudi Arabia can repair three damaged pumping stations on its east-west pipeline. Saudi Arabia plans to restore about half the pipeline's throughput within days. Houthi claims of further attacks on Riyadh and a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu underscore continuing risks. Saudi Arabia has shifted more exports toward the Strait of Hormuz after suspending some Yanbu loadings, lifting September exports above 4 million barrels per day from August's 2.4 million, the lowest level since at least 2013. JPMorgan said Middle East flows remained robust, averaging 17.1 million barrels per day over the past 10 days, while Saudi shipments through Hormuz averaged 2.9 million barrels per day over six days, compared with 700,000 in August. Refined-product shortages remain severe: AAA reported record average diesel prices of $6.45 a gallon and gasoline at $4.47, while JPMorgan cited a U.S. diesel record of $6.31 amid low inventories and approaching winter demand. JPMorgan said it lacked a clear base-case oil scenario, estimating September Brent fair value at about $90 against market prices near $106. The gap reflects risk premiums for further supply losses, but demand destruction (lower consumption caused by high prices and economic weakness) has also kept prices from rising more sharply; global demand is about 4.4 million barrels per day below year-ago levels. Inventories in China, Europe, Japan and South Korea remain an important buffer, though their protection will weaken if stockpiles fall persistently. Markets will watch the Middle East, Saudi repair progress and the recovery of Hormuz shipping in the coming week.