Brent crude rises above $100 a barrel as Middle East conflict escalates ↧ ↧ Brent crude rises above $100 a barrel as Middle East conflict escal... Benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose past $100 a barrel on Wednesday, breaching the symbolic barrier for the first time ​since July 24 as intensifying conflict in the Middle ‌East fuelled growing concern about oil flows from the region.