Oil was mixed yesterday in Asian trade amid renewed tensions over Iran's nuclear program, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for January delivery, dropped US$0.05 to US$78.32 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for January delivery was US$0.88 higher at US$79.35 a barrel.
Both contracts had closed higher Tuesday.
"Iran is very bullish," said Ellis Eckland, an independent analyst.
Tensions simmered as Iran hit out at its long-time nuclear partner Russia over a yes vote for a censure motion at the U.N. atomic watchdog and insisted it was serious about plans for 10 additional uranium enrichment plants.
"Russia made a mistake. It does not have an accurate analysis of today's world situation," Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday in a televised interview.
