Oil ends lower reports of Iran embargo delay Anxiety that Iranian oil would soon be forced off European markets eased Thursday, sending crude prices below $100 a barrel for the first time this year. Here's how energy contracts traded. On the New York Mercantile Exchange: Benchmark crude fell $1.77 to finish at $99.10 per barrel. Gasoline fell 3.2 cents to end at $2.7313 a gallon. Heating oil fell 1 cent to finish at $3.0541 a gallon. Natural gas fell 8 cents to end at $2.6970 per 1,000 cubic feet. On the ICE Futures exchange in London: Brent crude fell $1.01 to finish the day at $111.05 per barrel.