Oil prices held largely steady during early trading in Asia on Thursday, tracking previous gains and steep monthly increases as market participants weighed the latest developments in US-Iran peace discussions alongside regional crude export trends.

Brent crude futures climbed 12 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $98.15 per barrel as of 00:45 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) settled at $90.35 a barrel, slipping 7 cents, or 0.1 percent.

Both major benchmarks advanced by roughly $1 a barrel in the prior session.

According to Reuters, Brent advanced by approximately 14 percent in September, its strongest monthly performance since July, while WTI finished the month up about 5 percent.

MNA