The CBOT soybean futures benchmark November contract settled at 1193.50, up 4.00 cents/bushel. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures closed higher on Monday, hitting fresh highs since late May. The rally was primarily driven by weather forecasts calling for hot conditions across the western half of the U.S. Midwest crop belt this week, with most areas remaining dry and the pattern likely to persist into next week, threatening crop yield potential. Additional support came from crude oil futures, which surged over 9% on reports that the U.S. plans to block Iranian ports. However, after the market closed, the USDA crop progress report showed that the U.S. soybean good-to-excellent rating unexpectedly rose to 65%, up from the previous week's 64% and above market expectations of 64%, which put some pressure on the market.