Wheat futures posted modest losses on Thursday, with Chicago soft red winter contracts down 1 to 3 cents and Kansas City hard red winter futures losing 2 to 3.5 cents in front months, while Minneapolis spring wheat gained 2 to 3 cents. The USDA reported weekly wheat export sales of just 235,102 metric tons for the week ending July 9, the lowest of the new marketing year and less than half of the same week last year, missing pre-report estimates that ranged from 250,000 to 600,000 metric tons. France AgriMer cut its forecast for French soft wheat exports outside the EU to 7 million metric tons, down 0.4 million from the prior estimate, and raised ending stocks to 3.65 million metric tons, while the International Grains Council left its world wheat production estimate unchanged at 821 million metric tons. Ongoing Black Sea tensions saw Russia strike port infrastructure in Odesa and grain handling restrictions at Chornomorsk, while Ukraine claimed hits on at least five Russian oil tankers.