Front-month WTI crude oil futures slipped 0.1% to $81.20 a barrel in early trade as the market weighed competing supply signals from the Middle East. ANZ Research analysts said oil flows appeared to be rising, with Persian Gulf producers including the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia said to be working to keep exports moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping chokepoint for global crude. At the same time, the analysts pointed to reports that the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group had targeted Saudi Aramco’s oil refinery in Jazan on the Red Sea coast, underscoring the persistent geopolitical risks around regional energy infrastructure.