Oil stocks advanced on Thursday, with Battalion Oil Corp (BATL.US) surging more than 20%. U.S. Energy (USEG.US) climbed over 6%, Murphy Oil (MUR.US) rose more than 4%, Occidental Petroleum (OXY.US) gained over 3%, and ConocoPhillips (COP.US) increased nearly 2%. The rally was driven by a sharp rise in international oil prices. WTI crude surged over 8% to $94.66 per barrel, while Brent crude jumped more than 7% to $95.78. The move followed comments from Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who stated that Iran would not abandon revenge and that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed. Analyst Dara Doyle noted that the market interpreted Khamenei's remarks as notably hawkish, with little indication that Iran is prepared to make concessions to the United States and Israel. In his first public address since taking office, Khamenei threatened to open new fronts in the war, heightening market concerns over prolonged supply disruptions at the critical global oil chokepoint.