“Global oil prices hovered around $100 a barrel Friday after Iran rejected a U.S. cease-fire offer, fueling investor concerns that the widening conflict could throttle energy shipments from the region indefinitely,” the New York Times reports.“Claims of strikes on tankers in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia group on Thursday added to fears about the flow of oil out of the Middle East. The group has threatened to blockade Saudi ships taking an alternate route to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.”Los Angeles Times: War escalates, oil prices surge as Iran-backed Houthis strike Saudi tankers in Red Sea.