US-Iran war, July 9 -- Oil prices climbed on Thursday after the US carried out fresh strikes on Iran, reducing hopes of a swift end to the conflict and delaying expectations of the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that handled around one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war.

Brent crude futures were up 78 cents, or 1%, at $78.80 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 74 cents, or 1.01%, to trade at $74.26 a barrel.

Both Brent and WTI had already surged by more than $1 in after-hours trading on Wednesday following reports that the US military had launched a new wave of strikes against Iran.

Earlier, the benchmark indices had ended at their highest level in more than two weeks after US Pre...