CNBC Daily Open: Gulf strikes jolt oil toward triple digits

Brent crude oil prices paused in early trading on Tuesday after gaining in the previous session following a drone attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in Russia that reduced flows from Kazakhstan.Bloomberg Creative | Bloomberg Creative Photos | Getty ImagesHello, this is Leonie Kidd coming to you from London. Welcome to another edition of CNBC's Daily Open.Markets seem trapped in a cycle of Iran tensions leading to higher oil prices, which leads to stocks moving lower and ultimately inflation concerns rising. Wednesday is no different, with crude prices marching back towards triple digits and inflation sirens ringing from Beijing to London to Washington. Read on for more.What you need to know todayIran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it has struck two U.S. vessels and a further eight oil tankers in the Gulf. The move comes in response to American military attacks on five Iranian crude oil tankers, which U.S. Central Command said it had destroyed on Tuesday. The strikes from both sides mark an escalation in military hostilities as the Trump administration continues its pressure on Tehran via economic sanctions. Risk-off back onThe developments are keeping oil prices sharply highe...