Oil prices jump after US-Iran ceasefire expires and Trump threatens Oman

# Why This Matters The collapse of US-Iran tensions and Trump's escalation toward Oman represent a critical inflection point for global energy markets and geopolitical stability. With oil already climbing past $90 per barrel—a level not seen since 2022—further military action in the Persian Gulf region risks triggering a genuine supply shock, as Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz through which roughly 20% of the world's traded oil passes daily. A sustained conflict would likely drive prices toward $120-150 per barrel within weeks, directly raising gas prices at American pumps by 40-60 cents and hiking heating and shipping costs that ripple through supply chains and consumer goods prices nationwide. Beyond economics, Trump's willingness to threaten strikes on Oman—a traditionally neutral broker that has historically mediated US-Iran negotiations—signals a departure from diplomatic off-ramps and raises the genuine possibility of a regional conflict that could destabilize the Middle East for years, drawing in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and potentially Russia and China into competing spheres of influence over the world's most strategically important energy chokepoint.