US Crude Oil Futures Rise After Iran Talks

US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed as high as $98 a barrel and last traded up $1.20, or 1.3 percent, at $97.55 as of 22:28 GMT. The price rise followed a 2 percent decline on Thursday that brought the contract to its lowest level in nearly two weeks. An unnamed senior Iranian source told Reuters that no peace deal has been reached but gaps have narrowed.

Rubio said there have been some good signs in the talks, but any toll system in the strait would be unacceptable.

UN envoy Riyad Mansour told the UN Security Council that Israel continues to unleash violence against Palestinian civilians through both soldiers and settlers. Mansour said nothing can justify collective punishment against over two million Palestinians and called for crossings to remain open so aid can flow at scale.

Mansour acknowledged that the ceasefire agreement has saved thousands of lives but noted Israel killed over 870 Palestinians since it began. House Republicans postponed a vote on a measure to curb the president’s power to wage war on Iran. US media outlets reported the delay may have occurred because several Republicans were absent.

A Democratic representative said Republicans postponed the War Powers vote on Iran because they knew they were going to lose. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 16 separate assaults on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Thursday, using rocket salvoes, attack drones, and artillery fire.

An Israeli air strike on an ambulance centre in the town of Hannaouiyah in southern Lebanon killed four people, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. A report said Iran has destroyed more than two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by US forces since the onset of the current war, with losses estimated at about $1 billion.