On Friday, crude oil futures rose slightly, with the global benchmark Brent crude hovering at a five-month high.

At 4:50 Beijing time, Brent crude oil futures rose by 0.7% to $113.50 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures increased by 0.8% to $100.24 per barrel.

Brent crude oil futures are expected to record a weekly increase of 3.3%, which would be the third consecutive week of gains. The contract is also trading at its highest level since early May.

WTI Crude oil futures are expected to record a weekly decline of 1.1%, which will bring an end to the upward trend that has lasted for two consecutive weeks.

Traders continue to pay attention to the developments in the Middle East situation.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran of lying about the attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

He wrote on Truth Social: “Iran is doing its utmost to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterms. They have even fabricated false attacks, landmines, and everything else, because more oil is passing through the Strait of Hormuz now than before the conflict began.”

According to the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iranian officials, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards of Iran stated on Thursday that four vessels in the Persian Gulf were attacked and caught fire, while three others ran aground on mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to another report, the commander of the Iranian Army stated that, after enhancing their capabilities, the country's military is now fully prepared to conduct "asymmetric warfare."

In Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported that after a series of attacks by Houthi militants supported by Iran, oil giant Saudi Aramco has instructed its employees to evacuate their headquarters in Dharama and switch to remote work.

In the past few weeks, Houthi militants have launched attacks on Saudi airports and some Saudi Aramco offices, resulting in multiple deaths.