• Brent crude futures for June rose $1.91, or 1.62%, to $119.94 a barrel Published April 30, 2026 Updated 41 minutes ago BEIJING: Oil prices extended gains on Thursday on concerns supply from the key Middle East producing region will remain bottled up for longer as talks to end the US-Israeli war against Iran have deadlocked. Brent crude futures for June rose $1.91, or 1.62%, to $119.94 a barrel as of 0057 GMT after gaining 6.1% in the previous session. The June contract, which has increased for a ninth day, expires on Thursday and the more active July contract was at $111.38, up 94 cents, or 0.85%, after gaining 5.8% in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate futures for June were up 63 cents, or 0.59%, at $107.51 a barrel, after climbing 7% in the previous session, ⁠climbing in eight of nine sessions. US President Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday with oil companies about how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long US blockade of Iran’s ports, a White House official said on Wednesday, triggering concerns in the market of an extended disruption to oil supplies. “Prospects for any near-term resolution to the Iran conflict or a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remain dim,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note. The meeting with oil companies followed a deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict that has killed thousands and…