Oil prices finished with gains on Friday after new sanctions were imposed on Iran’s crude exports. But prices were down for the week as investors worried about US President Donald Trump’s renewed trade war with China and threats of tariffs on other countries.
To increase pressure on Tehran, the US Treasury on Thursday said it was imposing new sanctions on a few individuals and tankers, helping to ship millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil per year to China.
Brent crude futures settled at 74.66 US dollars a barrel, up 0.5 percent, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude finished at 70 US dollars a barrel, up 0.6 percent.
Brent crude futures settled at $74.66 a barrel, up 37 cents, or 0.5% and poised to fall more than 2% this week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $71.00 a barrel, up 39 cents, or 0.55%.
Reports of planned tariffs from the Trump administration reined in gains following the sanctions announced on Thursday, said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC.