فوربس: توترات ايران ونيجيريا تعيد النفط الى 67 دولار

ايلاف من بيروت: اوردت شبكة فوربس في موقعها على الانترنت تقريرا حول ارتفاع اسعار النفط الى حدود 67 دولار للبرميل، وجاء في التقرير:

Oil prices back above 67 usd on rising tensions in Iran, Nigeria

Oil prices rose back above 67 usd, recovering from losses seen earlier in the week, as Iran's nuclear dispute with the west took a turn for the worse while Nigerian militants threatened further attacks against oil facilities.

At 11.48 GMT, March-dated US light crude futures were up 74 cents at 67.05 usd, while March-dated Brent contracts were up 69 cents in London at 65.61 usd a barrel.

Earlier today, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said a Russian proposal to carry out nuclear fuel work for Iran in order to allay fears Tehran is seeking the nuclear weapon was 'not sufficient' for Iran.

The comments dampened hopes that Tehran, whose move to resume nuclear fuel research has led the US and EU powers to call for referral to the Security Council, was considering a compromise solution.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is holding an emergency meeting on Iran on Feb 2 -- when such a referral could take place -- leaving just a small window for a new compromise.

'I think the market is factoring the news (on Iran and Nigeria) into the price ... it more or less explains the 1 usd move,' said Societe General's head of commodities research Frederic Lassere.

Lassere said the standoff with Iran, the world's fourth largest exporter, represents a potential supply threat while the unrest in Nigeria is a more immediate concern as it represents an actual supply disruption.

Around 221,000 bpd or 8 pct of national output remains offline in Nigeria following a month-long campaign of sabotage by militants, who today threatened a second wave of violence.

The militants, believed to be holding four foreign oil workers hostage, also denied reports in the press reports they were planning to release the hostages.

Oil prices hit a 4 month peak of 69.20 usd on Monday on concerns over tensions in Iran and Nigeria, but had lost some 3 usd by Wednesday as US inventory data showed greater than expected gains in gasoline and distillates.

Prudential analyst Jim Ritterbusch says the potential loss of Iranian oil 'should prove capable of maintaining a 60 usd handle in crude values well into next month'.