The Rupee closed stroonger as it rallied to close above the 96-per-dollar mark for the first time in a week on Friday, helped by the ?central bank's aggressive interventions to arrest the currency's slide from 94.50 to nearly 97. Two state-run lenders were consistently selling dollars through Friday's trading ?session, three traders told Reuters, adding that this marked a change from ?relatively subdued and intermittent activity in the earlier part of the ?week. State-run banks were spotted conducting dollar-rupee buy/sell ?swaps as well, most likely on behalf of the RBI, the ?bankers added. Dollar-rupee forward premiums fell as a result, with the 1-year implied yield ?down ?6 basis points at 3.39%. Elsewhere, Asian currencies were mostly ?weaker on the day, with losses led by a 0.6% fall in the Korean won. The dollar traded near six-week highs on Friday, after conflicting signals over a ?U.S.-Iran peace deal whipped up volatility across financial markets, though investors latched on to hopes of some progress. The dollar rose 0.17% against a basket of six major currencies to 99.37, just shy of six-week highs. The euro , which was headed for a second weekly loss, ?was down 0.2% on the day at $1.1594, while the pound was slightly lower at $1.342, having shrugged off data earlier that showed retail sales dropped by the most in nearly a year in April, as consumers felt the pinch of the inflationary ?effects of the Iran war. The U.S. dollar's strength and persistently high oil prices have spelled pain ?for the yen , which on Friday struggled on the weaker side of 159 per dollar. It was 0.1% lower at 159.09 per dollar. The Bank of Japan is only expected to ?raise borrowing costs gradually while other central banks, including the European Central Bank, are likely to deliver hikes ?far more quickly, ?which puts the yen at a disadvantage with investors who seek out extra returns from higher domestic interest rates. Oil prices ?rose on Friday as investors doubted the prospect of a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran peace talks, but held ?on track for a weekly loss. Brent crude futures were up 92 cents, or around 1%, at $105.88 a barrel by 1226 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were 18 cents, or 0.2%, higher at $96.53 - both had risen over 3% earlier in the session.......