UPDATE 9-Oil rises on U.S. vaccine rollout, Middle East tension

* U.S. at 22% vaccinated; other countries further behind
* Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco facilities
* Crude prices remain rangebound

(Updates with settlement prices)
By Stephanie Kelly
NEW YORK, April 12 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday on
optimism over the pace of coronavirus vaccinations in the United
States and after the Yemen-based Houthi movement said it fired
missiles on Saudi oil sites.
Still, crude prices have remained rangebound in the past
three weeks, as growing expectations of surging U.S. economic
activity are balanced by the slow rate of vaccination in Europe
and anticipation of additional supply from Iran in coming
months.
Brent LCOc1 rose 33 cents to settle at $63.28 a barrel.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 38 cents to settle at
$59.70 a barrel.
The United States has fully vaccinated 22% of its
population, while the United Kingdom has vaccinated 11% fully,
according to the Reuters vaccine tracker https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access.
Still, other countries are not faring as well, with France and
Germany at around 6% vaccinated.
"Oil prices rose today as a result of progress in
vaccination campaigns in the U.S., which are helping the
country's plan to spend," said Louise Dickson, Rystad Energy's
oil markets analyst.
"The upward momentum in other countries is promising, but
large discrepancies remain globally," Dickson added.
Prices also found some support after Yemen's Iran-aligned
Houthi movement said it had fired 17 drones and two ballistic
missiles at Saudi targets, including towards Saudi Aramco
2222.SE refineries in Jubail and Jeddah.
There was no immediate Saudi confirmation. Saudi Aramco, the
state oil firm, did not comment when contacted by Reuters.
"While there are still plenty of reasons to be bullish,
market players have become more cautious as infections have
surged in Europe, India and some emerging markets, while vaccine
rollouts have proved slower than anticipated," said oil broker
PVM's Stephen Brennock.
India now accounts for one in every six daily coronavirus
infections worldwide, and cases are also rising in other parts
of Asia. Asian oil demand has remained weak and some buyers have
asked for lower volumes in May, partly because of refinery
maintenance and higher prices. In an interview aired on Sunday, Federal Reserve Chair
Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy is at an "inflection point"
amid expectations that growth and hiring will accelerate in the
months ahead, but it faces the risk of reopening too quickly and
sparking a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. On the supply side, U.S. oil output from seven major shale
formations is expected to rise for a third straight month,
climbing by about 13,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May to 7.61
million bpd, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on
Monday. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CHART: U.S. oil remains neutral in $58.80-$60.04 range
Brent oil remains neutral in $62.84-$63.84 range
vaccination tracker https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access/
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