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Major Gulf stock markets climbed in early Thursday trading, supported by strong corporate earnings and optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal, though uncertainty persisted over the fate of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, Iran said it was reviewing a U.S. peace proposal which, according to sources, would officially bring the war to an end but would leave unresolved Washington's main demands that Tehran halt its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia's benchmark index rose 0.2%, with ACWA Power rising 6.5%, while Elm Co jumped 10% following a steep rise in first-quarter profit.
Dubai's main share index gained 0.8%, led by a 7.8% surge in Emirates Central Cooling Systems after an upbeat quarterly earnings.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday that its ties and its international and defense partnerships were a "purely sovereign matter," rejecting an earlier statement by Iran saying that Abu Dhabi's cooperation with the U.S. threatened Iran's security and national interests.
In Abu Dhabi, the index was up 0.3%, with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank rising 1.4%.
The Qatari index added 0.2%.
(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar)





















