Oil prices trended ​lower on Thursday on the progress in Iran-Oman talks, with investors cautiously waiting for signs of a U.S.-Iran ‌peace deal and progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. "Some selling pressure emerged following reports that talks between Iran and Oman are making progress," ​said Yuki Takashima, economist at Nomura Securities. Gulf countries' crude oil and condensate exports were largely steady in July and remained about 40% ​below pre-war levels, shipping data showed. Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Wednesday they had launched ​a missile attack on ⁠a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of the kingdom's Red Sea port city of Yanbu and another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. Separately, U.S. crude stocks rose as refineries eased processing slightly and imports edged higher, data from the Energy Information ​Administration showed on Wednesday.