Oil prices rose sharply on Monday, with Brent crude surpassing the $110 level and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbing above $100 a barrel, as the Middle East conflict completed its first month. Markets remained on edge as the Houthis entered the Iran war and the US plans to increase ground presence in the region, increasing uncertainty over the war’s trajectory.Around 7am IST, Brent crude was at $116.4 a barrel, up 3.84% or 3.41%, after gaining more than 4% in its previous session on Friday. After posting a 5.5% gain last week, WTI crude followed the rally to jump 3.44 or 3.45% to $103.1. So far this month, Brent has climbed 59%, marking its steepest monthly rise and surpassing the gain seen during the 1990 Gulf War. The surge comes after Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, effectively blocking the strategically important route through which about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies pass.The conflict, which began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, has spread throughout the Middle East. Over the weekend, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched their first attack on Israel since the start of the war, raising further concerns over key shipping lanes in the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea. The US has also increased its military presence in the Middle East, with about 3,500 Marines and sailors deployed to the region aboard the USS Tripoli. The move has been described as potentially the largest US construction in nearly two decades, which was confirmed by US Central Command. It comes after nearly a month of conflict involving Iran and is seen as part of Washington’s effort to expand its operational options in the region.Meanwhile, Saudi crude oil exports redirected from the Strait of Hormuz to Yanbu port in the Red Sea reached 4.658 million barrels per day last week, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters.If exports from Yanbu are disrupted, Saudi oil flows could be forced to shift to Egypt’s Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea, JPMorgan analysts said.Despite ongoing efforts to advance ceasefire discussions, tensions in the region escalated over the weekend after attacks damaged Oman’s Salalah terminal.Iran has said it is prepared to respond to a US ground attack and has accused Washington of planning a ground attack along with talks.Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said possible US-Iran talks as well as possible ways to achieve an early and permanent end to the conflict were discussed in Islamabad.