BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- World crude oil prices surged to fresh intraday highs on Tuesday, amid international tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

    New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, rose 48 cents to 70.88 dollars a barrel in Asian electronic trading, surpassing the previous intraday record high of 70.85 dollars set on Aug. 30, when Hurricane Katrina lashed the U.S. Gulf Coast.

    The price of Brent crude for June delivery at London's ICE Futures exchange also hit a new intraday record in early trade Tuesday, touching 71.93 dollars a barrel.

    Traders are anxious that the U.S.-led efforts to stop Iran, OPEC's second-largest member, from pursuing a suspected nuclear weapons program could result in a disruption in Pesrian Gulf supplies.

    New York's main crude contract closed Monday at 70.40 dollars per barrel while London's main contract closed the same day at 71.46 dollars a barrel. Enditem