Oil prices rose Thursday after Iran signaled it had no intention of holding direct talks with the United States, even as a U.S. proposal to end the war is under review by senior officials in Tehran, according to remarks from the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister.
International benchmark Brent crude futures added 1.21% to $103.46 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 1.35% to $91.54 per barrel.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media on Wednesday that exchanges between the two countries through mediators do not mean “negotiations with the U.S.,” Reuters reported.
Iranian state media reported that Tehran would reject a U.S. ceasefire offer and had instead laid out its own conditions for ending the conflict.′
The latest comments came as Washington and Tehran continued to offer differing accounts of the status of talks.
