Oil prices slipped on Thursday as investors hesitated to take new positions after U.S. President Donald Trump gave mixed signals on the country's potential involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

Global oil prices edged modestly lower in Wednesday afternoon trading, remaining nearly 10% higher than before Israel’s first attack on Iran last week, as investors look for evidence of supply disruption in crude markets as the conflict enters its sixth day.

The initial round of Israeli attacks sent oil prices 7 percent higher on Friday. Still, at about $74 a barrel, Brent crude remains below the $80 average for 2024, the Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. The market continued to waver, though, and by Monday, oil prices had fallen about 3 percent.