
Brent crude closed on Friday at $105.33 a barrel, accumulating a gain of nearly ten dollars from the start of the week, in a market dominated by uncertainty over the US-Iran conflict and the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The European benchmark crude touched $107.40 on Thursday — its weekly peak — before moderating its advance.

An internal Pentagon email is considering the withdrawal of US diplomatic support for the United Kingdom in its dispute with Argentina over the Falklands as part of a package of retaliatory measures targeting NATO allies that did not back US military operations in the war with Iran, which began on February 28 of this year. The revelation was published on Friday by Reuters, based on a leaked memorandum and confirmed by a US official speaking on condition of anonymity.

US President Donald Trump said the state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which begins on Monday, could help repair relations with the United Kingdom, strained by weeks of tension over the Iran war and other bilateral disputes. The remarks came in a telephone interview with the BBC broadcast on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday without setting a deadline, hours before his own two-week truce was set to expire without a deal. The decision came as Iran attacked two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with the White House declining to characterise the strikes as a ceasefire violation on the grounds that neither vessel was American or Israeli.

The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court unanimously upheld the dismissal of a class action lawsuit filed by investors against Uruguayan fintech dLocal and the investment banks involved in its 2021 initial public offering, finding no material omissions in the information the company disclosed before the IPO.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran, hours before the two-week truce was set to expire, but maintained the naval blockade on Iranian ports and conditioned any diplomatic progress on Tehran presenting a unified proposal to resume negotiations.

Cuba's government on Monday confirmed that a meeting with US representatives recently took place on the island, in the latest sign of a diplomatic approach between both countries amid a severe energy crisis caused by Washington's blockade of oil supplies.

The US Navy fired on and boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday in the Gulf of Oman, in the first naval seizure since Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports a week ago. Iran vowed retaliation, calling the operation an “act of piracy,” casting doubt on the second round of peace talks Trump announced for Monday in Islamabad.

Iran's reopening of the Strait of Hormuz lasted less than 24 hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared on Saturday that it had reimposed strict control over the maritime corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits. At least two vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the strait, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. It has not been confirmed whether the shots caused damage.

Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain fully open to merchant shipping until the ceasefire with the United States expires next Wednesday. The decision, linked to the start of the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon announced by Trump on Thursday, triggered an immediate drop in oil prices of nearly 10% and strong relief across global markets.