Oil prices increased on Wednesday, driven by uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran peace talks and renewed tension in the Gulf.
International benchmark Brent crude traded at $97.85 per barrel at 9.45 a.m. local time (0645 GMT), up around 1.9% from the previous close of $96.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased about 2.1% to $95.69 per barrel, compared with $93.76 in the previous session.
US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were continuing without interruption and called on Tehran to "reach an agreement one way or another."
"Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the U.S.A., stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous. The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an empty oil tanker sailing toward an Iranian port in the Persian Gulf had been neutralized.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), for its part, said it had targeted the US Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In a statement, the IRGC said the attacks on the US base in Bahrain were carried out in response to a US attack on Qeshm Island.
It also stated that, following an overnight US missile attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, the Panaya vessel—described as having links to the US and Israel—was targeted by missiles fired by the Iranian navy.
These developments have reduced optimism over the possibility of a peace agreement between the US and Iran, while the continuation of conflicts in the Middle East has supported prices.
By Humeyra Ayaz
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
