Reports of the growing chance of Israel attacking Iran have added to tensions in the region and resulted in Brent crude holding above $112 a barrel today.
Front-month Brent crude rose 26 cents to $112.34 a barrel, while US crude increased six cents to $96.42.
The market was restricted further by key statistics on employment in the US, which are due later in the day.
In addition, there is the ongoing market pessimism regarding Greek debt, which has seen the euro weaken; and there has also been a drop in the Asian shares market.