Oil prices jumped more than 2 per cent and most Asian and European shares fell after the US conducted fresh strikes on Iran, escalating tensions in the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 2.2 per cent to $75.80 per barrel while US benchmark crude added 2.1 per cent to $71.94 a barrel. Both had declined recently to around where they were at before the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February.
