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US-Iran Flare-Up Drags US Equity Futures Pre-Bell as Middle East Tensions Re-Escalate

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US equity futures were edging lower pre-bell Wednesday as the US and Iran once again exchanged attacks after a US Army Apache helicopter was shot down, raising tensions in the Middle East.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.6% lower, S&P 500 futures were down 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.7% lower.

US Central Command said in an X post that it launched "self-defense strikes" against Iran as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," responding to the downing of a US Army helicopter. Iran, which did not claim responsibility for shooting down the chopper, responded with attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said that Iran has been "completely defeated." Trump added, "They've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"

Traders look forward to Oracle's (ORCL) fiscal Q4 financial results, scheduled to be released after the market closes.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.8% at $88.93 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.7% higher at $92.05 per barrel.

The May consumer price index, released at 8:30 am ET, gained 0.5% as expected, compared with a 0.6% increase in the previous month, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 1.9% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.6% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.4% lower. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was down 0.2%, and Germany's DAX index was 0.9% lower in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) were all lower as part of a broader sell-off in the tech sector. Nvidia stock was down 1.3%, Microsoft shares fell 0.9%, and Taiwan Semiconductor stock was down 2.3%.

On the winning side, CME Group (CME) shares were marginally higher after the company said it launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures. Casey's General Stores (CASY) stock was up 2.1% after the company reported fiscal Q4 earnings and revenue that surpassed analysts' estimates.

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