By Nicole JaoNEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday, with Brent settling up slightly but the U.S. contract edging lower, as investors weighed revived expectations of a de-escalation in U.S.-Iran ‌hostilities that could restore shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and oil flows in the Middle East. Brent ‌crude futures settled up 9 cents, or 0.11%, at $79.45 a barrel. U.S. CRUDE INVENTORIES RISEA build in U.S. crude inventories, as refineries eased their processing, slightly pressured prices, as did a slight rise in imports. The U.S. oil benchmark was under more pressure as oil inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma, ‌delivery hub rose more than the market expected last week, said Andrew Lipow, ​president of Lipow Oil Associates. The losses were limited by shipping risks in ​the Red Sea after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said ​on Wednesday they had attacked a Saudi oil tanker off Yanbu, a port for Saudi ‌crude oil exports.