Pakistan, March 13 -- Crude oil prices increased on Tuesday as tensions in the Middle East continued to spur concerns.

As of 1110 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, gained $0.52 (+0.63 percent) to reach $82.73 a barrel. Similarly, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the main oil benchmark for North America, went up by $0.43 (+0.55 percent) to $78.36 a barrel.

On the other hand, the price of Arab Light increased by $0.99 (+1.2 percent) to reach $83.73 a barrel. Similarly, the price of Russian Sokol increased by $0.98 (+1.3 percent) to $76.10. Following suit, the price for Opec Basket inched up to $83.08 a barrel with an uptick of $0.37 (+0.45 percent).

Both global benchmarks ended last week l...