LONDON: Oil rose towards $110 a barrel on Friday as evidence of a sustained recovery in the United States and rising tension over major oil exporter Iran countered concern about the euro zone debt crisis.
US manufacturing activity rose to its highest in five months, the Institute for Supply Management said on Thursday, following earlier data on consumer spending and private-sector job creation that were also positive.
"Data out of the US has been strong and that has helped support oil prices. The market wants to move higher, but is reluctant to, unless it sees a clear resolution to the euro zone crisis," said Victor Say, a market analyst at Informa Global Markets in Singapore.
The EU and US tightened their sanctions against Iran on Thursday in response to mounting concern over the OPEC producer's nuclear work, increasing concern over a possible disruption to its oil flows.
Brent crude rose 78 cents to $109.77 a barrel by 0929 GMT, after settling down $1.53 at $108.99 on Thursday. US crude climbed 51 cents to $100.71.
Traders will be watching a key jobs report on Friday for further signs that U.S economic growth is accelerating.
A Reuters poll forecast US jobs rose 122,000 last month with the unemployment rate holding at 9.0 percent. For a preview, see
In Europe, whose sovereign debt problems have weighed on oil prices for months, the European Central Bank signalled on Thursday it stood ready to act more aggressively to fight the region's crisis if political leaders agree next week on much tighter budget controls.
With sanctions against Iran being tightened, the prospect of disruption to its oil supplies remained in focus, possibly as a pre-emptive move by Iran.
"The political process (to impose sanctions) will take time, but if Iran sees a loss of income as inevitable, there is a greater risk that it takes what limited political and economic capital it has to the negotiating table by invoking a pre-emptive export ban," analysts at JP Morgan said in a report.
While such a move was likely to trigger the release of strategic reserves, the initial market shock could boost prices by $20 to $30 a barrel, the report said.
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