Brent oil nears $100 after surging 5% on Mideast attacks

The price of main international oil contract, Brent North Sea, soared five percent Thursday after Houthi rebels claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Brent reached $98.80 a barrel while main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, rallied 3.8 percent to $90.11 a barrel, as the attacks potentially opened a new front in the Middle East war.