LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Euro zone bond yields rose
slightly on Wednesday after Iran said it would not meet U.S.
delegates for talks in Qatar, casting doubt on the peace
process, and as traders awaited inflation data for the bloc.
Germany's 10-year bond yield, the benchmark for
the bloc, rose 2 basis points (bps) to 2.934%, around its
highest in a week.
Euro zone yields fell sharply in May and June as the U.S.
and Iran neared and then confirmed an agreement to end the war
and allow energy to flow through the key Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices continued to trade at around their lowest level
since the war began, although they were very slightly higher on
Wednesday. Brent crude inched up to $73.05 a barrel,
well off highs of above $125 seen in late April.
Italy's 10-year bond yield rose 5 bps to 3.644%,
up from a more than three-month low of 3.556% touched on
Tuesday.
Bond traders were waiting for euro zone inflation data, due
out later in the morning, which is expected to show price growth
cooled to 3% in June from a 2-1/2-year high of 3.2% in May.
The European Central Bank's annual monetary policy
conference in Sintra, Portugal, was set to conclude on
Wednesday, with ECB President Christine Lagarde among those
scheduled to speak.
(Reporting by Harry Robertson; Editing by Muralikumar
Anantharaman)