Crude oil closes in on $99 per barrel

NEW YORK, June 17 (UPI) -- The price for a barrel of crude oil moved higher Monday morning, closing in on $99 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil in New York added 79 cents to $98.46 per barrel. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 0.4 cents to $2.9007 a gallon.

Home heating oil gained 0.44 cents to $2.9666 a gallon.

Natural gas gained 7.5 cents to $3.808 per million British thermal units.

Energy prices are higher after the U.S. decision to supply arms Syria's rebels, which some observers see as a potential threat to supply lines.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $3.611, down from Sunday's $3.614, AAA Fuel Gauge report said.