Oil futures fell on Friday after Iran reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and amid expectations that major producers are set to agree to raise their output this weekend.
Brent crude futures were down 22 cents, or 0.32%, to $68.58 a barrel by 0445 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 12 cents, or 0.18%, to $66.88.
Trade was thinned by the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
U.S. news website Axios reported on Thursday that the U.S. was planning to meet with Iran next week to restart nuclear talk, while Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"Thursday's news that the U.S. is preparing to resume nuclear talks with Iran, and Araqchi’s clarification that cooperation with the U.N. atomic agency has not been halted considerably eases the threat of a fresh outbreak of hostilities," said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.
Araqchi's comments came a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"But the price correction may have to wait till Monday, when the U.S. reopens from a long weekend and takes in Sunday's OPEC+ decision, which is likely to be another 411,000 barrels per day target hike in August," Hari said.
OPEC+, the world's largest group of oil producers, is set to announce an increase of 411,000 bpd in production for August as it looks to regain market share, four delegates from the group told Reuters.
Meanwhile, uncertainty over U.S. tariff policies was renewed as the end of a 90-day pause on higher levy rates approaches.
Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on goods sent to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual trade deals.
President Donald Trump told reporters before departing for Iowa on Thursday that letters would be sent to 10 countries at a time, laying out tariff rates of 20% to 30%.
Trump's 90-day pause on higher U.S. tariffs ends on 9 July, and several large trading partners have yet to clinch trade deals, including the European Union and Japan.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said.
Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with President Trump and other officials at The White House, however, to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran, media reports said.
Trump also said on Thursday that he would meet with representatives of Iran "if necessary".
Separately, Barclays said it raised its Brent oil price forecast by $6 to $72 per barrel for 2025 and by $10 to $70 a barrel for 2026 on an improved outlook for demand.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK have agreed to set the end of August as the unofficial deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the talks.
In a show of diplomatic unity, Italian and French foreign ministers met in Rome to address global crises, calling for urgent ceasefires and coordinated support on Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran.
Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran has halted talks and suspended cooperation with the IAEA, citing mistrust and demanding guarantees against future attacks before any dialogue can resume.
U.S. President Donald Trump rejects claims that recent American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had limited effect, declaring the sites were "totally destroyed."
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney is reportedly the top contender to become the next Bond girl, as director Denis Villeneuve and Amazon look to modernise the James Bond franchise.
The Indian rupee is expected to open stronger on Friday, supported by gains in other Asian currencies and a temporary pause in the U.S. dollar index’s upward trend.
Iran has developed an investment plan aimed at attracting funding to expand its caviar production to more than 140 metric tons in the near future, - stated Nasser Karami-Rad, a senior official of the Iran Fisheries Organization.
Kazakhstan is weighing cryptocurrency-related investments as part of its strategy to diversify national reserves and modernise financial management, according to the chairman of the National Bank.
Electric car sales in Germany surged to a new record in the first half of 2025, making up 17.7% of all new vehicle registrations, according to the German road traffic agency KBA. Despite a 4.7% drop in overall car sales, demand for EVs grew by 35% year-on-year.
U.S. consumer prices rose at their fastest pace in five months in June, signaling the early impact of tariffs on inflation. However, subdued demand and falling service prices may keep the Federal Reserve cautious about rate changes.
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