Oil down near $95 as focus returns to Iran talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Oil fell to near $95 a barrel today as investors waited to see if Iran will get sanction relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.

Benchmark U.S. crude for January delivery was down 20 cents to $95.24 at midafternoon Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.59 to close at $95.44 on Thursday, the highest close this month.

Oil was buoyed by signs of recovery in the U.S. job market but the gains were short-lived as focus returned to the Iran nuclear talks which began in Geneva on Wednesday.