Late Monday, U.S. stock futures slipped amid surging oil prices and fresh geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, rattling global markets.
Futures Slide As Oil Rally Sparks Inflation Fears
At the time of writing, Dow futures fell 106 points, or 0.23%, to 45,359.00, while S&P 500 futures declined 5.25 points, or 0.08%, to 6,383.00. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 50.00 points, or 0.22%, to 23,089.75.
In commodities, WTI crude futures climbed 2.92% to $105.88 per barrel, while Brent crude rose 2.12% to $115.17 per barrel.
RBOB gasoline futures gained 1.42% to $3.399 per gallon and ULSD heating oil futures advanced 1.96% to $4.45 per gallon.
Natural gas futures edged up 0.07% to $2.889 per MMBtu.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index was at 100.440, down 0.05%.
Asian markets were sharply lower, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 falling 1.83% to 50,937.59, while South Korea’s KOSPI tumbled 4.10% to 5,061.15.
US Troop Deployment Raises Stakes In Middle East
According to U.S. officials, thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division have begun arriving in the Middle East, Reuters reported on Monday.
This is part of a broader military buildup that could enable operations inside Iran even as Washington pursues negotiations with Tehran.
The deployment comes as the U.S. continues diplomatic efforts with Iran, even as the risk of broader conflict looms.
The strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical artery for global oil supply — has heightened market sensitivity to any escalation.
Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Conditions, Trump Warns Complete Obliteration
Iran pushed back strongly against Washington’s proposals, calling them unreasonable.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the terms presented by the U.S. were “excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable,” Al Jazeera reported.
Following Baghaei’s comments, Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. was engaging with a “more reasonable regime” to end the conflict in Iran. The president stated that said significant progress had been made toward a deal.
However, he warned that if an agreement is not reached soon and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, “we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island.”
Meanwhile, a Pakistani security official said it was unlikely that direct talks between the U.S. and Iran would take place this week, Reuters noted.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo: Hamara On Shutterstock.com
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