Oil prices rose on Friday, and were set for second consecutive weekly gains, as fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran and a new plan from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) to cut output raised bets on tighter supply.
Brent crude futures climbed 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $72.21 per barrel by 0435 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 25 cents, or 0.4%, to $68.32 a barrel.
On a weekly basis, both Brent and WTI were on track to rise about 2%, their biggest weekly gains since the first week of 2025.
The United States Treasury on Thursday announced new Iran-related sanctions, which for the first time targeted an independent Chinese refiner among other entities and vessels involved in supplying Iranian crude oil to China.
The sanctions on Chinese entities were "a clear escalation in sanctions policy", analysts at RBC Capital Markets said in a note on Friday.
"While the physical implications are minimal, we think it reasonable that risk premium here is taken more seriously," they wrote.
That marked Washington's fourth round of sanctions against Iran since U.S. President Donald Trump in February promised to reimpose a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran, pledging to drive the country's oil exports to zero.
Analysts at ANZ Bank said they expect a 1 million barrels per day (bpd) reduction in Iranian crude oil exports because of tighter sanctions. Vessel tracking service Kpler pegged Iranian crude oil exports at over 1.8 million bpd in February.
Source: Investing.com
