Oil steadies on hopes of Venezuela sanctions being eased

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices stabilised on Tuesday after a more than $1 slide on Monday amid hopes the U.S. would ease sanctions on producer Venezuela and as Washington stepped up efforts to prevent an escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas.

futures were up 3 cents at $89.68 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) were down 11 cents at $86.55 a barrel as of 0113 GMT.

Venezuela’s government and opposition are set to resume long-suspended talks on Tuesday that President Nicolas Maduro said would benefit the upcoming 2024 election, a move that could lead to Washington easing sanctions, multiple sources said.

Since 2019, the U.S. has sanctioned oil exports from Venezuela, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), to punish Maduro’s government following elections in 2018 that Washington considered a sham due to human rights violations.

Both oil benchmarks surged last week on fears the conflict in the Middle East could widen, with global benchmark Brent gaining 7.5% in its highest weekly gain since February.

“The risks remain, with Iran’s foreign minister warning the possible expansion of the war on other fronts is approaching the inevitable stage,” ANZ Research said in a note on Tuesday.

The Biden administration has been seeking ways to increase the flow of oil to world markets to alleviate high prices. But any real oil output increase by Venezuela will take time due to lack of recent investments.