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Mexico is a top-three oil supplier to the United States.

Meanwhile, energy analysts said they expected the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly report Wednesday to show an increase in U.S. crude stocks last week of 600,000 barrels, buffing up inventories that are running about 6 percent below a year ago.

"A pause before the weekly inventory reports is not inappropriate, particularly with idled Mexican production returning to market," Mike Fitzpatrick, vice president at MF Global, wrote in a report.

OPEC DEFLECTS BLAME

Oil group OPEC has shrugged off calls from importer nations to cool prices by raising crude output, blaming politics and speculation -- not a supply shortfall -- for $90-plus oil.

"Please don't blame us for $93 oil," Qatari Oil Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah told reporters at an international energy conference in London. "The market is out of control."

U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said oil prices could break the $100 mark as risks such as cold winter weather, a U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut, rising costs and geopolitical turmoil remained.

The bank, which recommended taking profits in oil and gold in the short-term, said the recent oil rally was due to fundamental factors and not speculation.

"In fact, speculative money is at the same level it was in August when we were at $72 a barrel," the note said.

(Additional reporting by Elena Moya and Jane Merriman in London)