Oil prices rise on decline in U.S. fuel inventories, looming Iran sanctions

By Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday, extending solid gains from the previous session on a fall in U.S. crude inventories and expected disruptions to supply from Iran and Venezuela.

International Brent crude oil futures were at $77.40 per barrel at 0657 GMT, up 26 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 32 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $69.83 a barrel.

Brent crude has risen by more than 9 percent since Aug. 15 and on Thursday reached its highest since July 11 at $77.48 a barrel. WTI has climbed more than 7 percent over the same period.

U.S. commercial crude inventories fell by 2.6 million barrels in the week to Aug. 24, to 405.79 million barrels. U.S. production was flat from the previous week's record of 11 million barrels per day (bpd).

"Oil prices rose on the back of an unexpected U.S. inventory draw, the second week in a row of declines, together with gasoline demand reaching a record high," said William O'Loughlin, investment analyst at Australia's Rivkin Securities.

"The looming sanctions against Iran are beginning to impact oil supply lifting crude prices," said Alfonso Esparza, analyst at futures brokerage OANDA.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), of which Iran is the third-biggest producer, will discuss in December whether it can compensate for a sudden drop in Iranian oil supply after U.S sanctions against Tehran start in November, the head of Iraq's state-oil marketer SOMO, Alaa al-Yasiri, said on Wednesday.

Iran's August crude oil exports will likely drop to just over 2 million bpd, versus a peak of 3.1 million bpd in April, as importers bow to American pressure to cut orders.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned of a tightening market towards the end of the year, due to a combination of falling supply in countries such as Iran and also Venezuela, and strong demand especially in Asia.

"Definitely there are some worries that oil markets can tighten towards the end of this year," the IEA's Executive Director Fatih Birol told Reuters on Wednesday.

Crude oil exports in crisis-struck OPEC-member Venezuela have halved in recent years to only around 1 million bpd.

(Reporting by Henning Gloystein; editing by Richard Pullin and Christian Schmollinger)