NEW YORK: Oil prices rose sharply Monday as US and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain. Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt. Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf, have restricted countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world.

Oil prices rose on fears of war. Now the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran could disrupt oil exports and drive up gas prices.

A halt on trade flows through the strait of Hormuz could spell trouble for many developed economies