Oil prices tick higher in early U.S. trade, but are on pace for their largest quarterly decline since early 2020 as investors await clarity on a potential U.S.-Iran meeting in Doha. "Discussions could be indicative of the appetite from both sides to honor the agreed 60-day road map, or the situation in the Middle East could quickly take a turn for the worse," says Achilleas Georgolopoulos from XM. "Oil prices appear to have reached a plateau following the aggressive selloff, maintaining a small 'conflict' premium." Brent crude for August delivery is up 0.2% to $73.31 a barrel, while WTI futures are up 0.3% to $70.95 a barrel. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)