Oil prices steady as supply risks move into focus
Taiwan39;s Formosa refinery restarts after brief halt following earthquake
OPEC ministerial panel at 1100 GMT
U.S. EIA stock data to be released at 1430 GMT

LONDON, April 3 Reuters Oil prices were stable on Wednesday, as investors mulled supply risks stemming from ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and the potential for a widening of the Middle East conflict.

Brent crude futures for June rose 16 cents, or 0.18, to 89.08 per barrel at 0902 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May gained 11 cents, or 0.13, to 85.26 a barrel.

Both Brent and WTI climbed 1.7 during the previous session to their highest since October.

The rise in hostilities in both hotspots pushed the price of the two crude oil futures contracts to their highest levels this year, PVM analyst Tamas Varga said of Tuesday39;s rise.

Prices jumped higher on Tuesday after a fresh round of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries threatened to take even more of the country39;s processing capacity offline.

Investors were also concerned that conflict in the Middle East could spread, after Iran vowed revenge against Israel for an attack on Monday that killed highranking military personnel.

A wider conflict in the Middle East involving more oilproducing nations could cause supply disruptions. Iran, which provides support for the Hamas militia fighting Israel in Gaza, is the thirdlargest producer in the Organization of…