Oil prices jump after Gulf of Oman tanker 'attacks'

Crude prices climbed sharply today amid reports of an attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, was up 3% at $61.76 a barrel on London’s ICE Futures exchange. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, WTI futures rose 2.6% to $52.48 a barrel., the WSJ reported.

Four vessels and Saudi oil interests in the region were attacked in May. A U.S. official accused Iran of being behind the tanker attacks in May and Washington ratcheted up its military presence in the region immediately afterward, moving an aircraft carrier into the region.