Oil futures ticked slightly lower early Tuesday, a day after a fresh round of U.S. sanctions aimed at curtailing Iran’s crude exports provided a modest lift.

The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and oil tankers across China, the United Arab Emirates, India and other jurisdictions for allegedly helping to finance Iran and its support for militant groups that launch attacks against the U.

Oil prices were rising, with Brent crude advancing 0.4% to $74.36 a barrel and WTI up 0.2% at $70.85 a barrel. Crude has fluctuated in the mid-$70s for Brent and low $70s for WTI over the past week, Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note.

Oil futures finished higher on Monday, with prices finding support after a nearly 3% decline Friday, as the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, impacting its crude sector.

Described as a key move in US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran's oil industry, his administration imposed new sanctions Monday on individuals, entities and tankers in mainland China,

The Trump administration on Monday announced sanctions on more than 30 individuals and vessels connected with the sale and transportation of Iranian oil and its products.

The Trump administration’s math on Middle Eastern energy supplies just doesn’t add up. The law of supply and demand is the most basic insight in economics. When there's more of a good available for sale than people who want to buy it,

- US oil major ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) agreed to sell its interests in the US Gulf offshore fields Ursa and Europa to Shell (LON:SHEL) for $735 million, as part of its divestment program after the $22 billion Marathon Oil takeover.

The United States imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry on Monday, hitting more than 30 brokers, tanker operators, and shipping companies for their role in selling and transporting Iranian petroleum,