Brent crude futures jumped close to $3 on Friday to their highest since September after a US airstrike killed key Iranian and Iraqi military personnel, raising concerns that escalating Middle East tensions may disrupt oil supplies.

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Brent crude futures jumped nearly $3 to hit a high of $69.16 a barrel, the highest since September 17. The front-month Brent March contract was at $68.25 a barrel, up $2.00, or 3 percent, by 8:28 AM IST.

US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $1.76, or 2.9 percent, to $62.94 a barrel. Earlier, it touched $63.84 a barrel, highest since May 1.

"The supply-side risks remain elevated in the Middle East and we could see tensions continue to elevate between the US and Iran-backed militia in Iraq," said Edward Moya, analyst at brokerage OANDA, in an e-mail to Reuters.

An airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport early on Friday killed Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militia spokesman told Reuters.

The Pentagon later confirmed it was a US airstrike that killed Soleimani.

Oil prices were also lifted by China's central bank saying on Wednesday it was cutting the amount of cash that banks must hold in reserve, releasing around 800 billion yuan ($115 billion) in funds to shore up the slowing Chinese economy.

This came shortly after data showed China's production continued to grow at a solid pace and business confidence shot up.

"Oil prices still have room for further upside as many analysts are still having to upgrade their demand forecasts to include a rather calm period on the trade front," Moya said, referring to the warming trade relation between China and the United States.

"President Trump is likely to take a break on being 'tariff man' until we get beyond the presidential election in November."

First Published:Jan 3, 2020 9:44 AM IST