2021.04.1310:13:00UTC+00Oil Prices Edge Higher On Middle East Tensions

Oil prices rose on Tuesday amid the rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines across the United States and after the Yemen-based Houthi movement said it fired rockets on Saudi oil sites.

Brent crude for June settlement rose 58 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $63.86 per barrel while U.S. crude oil futures for May delivery were up 44 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $60.14 a barrel.

More than a third of people in the U.S. have already received at least one dose of a vaccine for Covid-19 as the pace of vaccinations increases.

About 22.3 percent of people are fully vaccinated, while about 20.2 percent of the shots distributed haven't been used yet, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Also supporting prices, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Monday it had fired 17 drones and two ballistic missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Aramco facilities in Jubail and Jeddah. However, there was no disruption to oil supply.