Daniel Thomas,Ben Hatton,Peter Hoskinsand Dearbail Jordan
Oil and gas prices have surged as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel. Natural gas prices spiked on Monday after QatarEnergy, one of the world's biggest exporters, halted production following "military attacks" on its facilities. Oil prices also jumped, with the global benchmark Brent crude briefly hitting $82 (£61) a barrel on Monday, after at least three ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend.
Iran warned vessels not to pass through the crucial waterway in the south of the country, through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas is shipped. In the US, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 stock market indexes opened down but regained those losses during Monday's trading and closed marginally higher. In London, the FTSE 100 share index closed down 1.2%, with the owner of British Airways recording the biggest fall in the index following the disruption to Middle East airspace.
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