Oil prices retreated more than 2 percent on Tuesday after Norway's government ordered an end to an oil workers' strike and on data that showed China imported less crude oil in June than in May.

Brent crude dropped back under $100 a barrel after Norway's government late on Monday ordered a settlement in a dispute between striking oil workers and employers. The deal prevented the cut off of more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, natural gas liquids and condensate.

Citing potential economic consequences, Oslo intervened with the strike in its third week and minutes before an industry-imposed lockout. Norwegian law allows the government to force workers back on the job to protect the industry on which much of the country's economy depends.

"The intervention (by the Norwegian government) means that a major supply disruption is prevented," Oliver Jakob, managing director at consultancy Petromatrix, wrote in a note.