Oil prices rose on Thursday, boosted by the U.S. threat of sanctions on OPEC member Venezuela, but gains were limited by U.S. data showing record-high gasoline record-highs and an unexpected big build in crude. Brent crude futures rose 14 cents to $61.28 a barrel by 12:12 p.m. EST (1712 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 62 cents to $53.24 a barrel. Washington signaled it could impose sanctions on Venezuela’s crude exports as Caracas descends further into political and economic turmoil. The threat to reduce supplies supported futures prices. “That’s the big story of the day for oil,” said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. “The market is really concerned about the geopolitical factors and what will happen if there are […]