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Major Gulf stock markets were mixed in early Tuesday trading, as investor sentiment remained cautious amid uncertainty over the progress of U.S.-Iran peace talks.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were still underway, despite an earlier report by Iran's Tasnim news agency claiming Tehran had suspended the indirect talks with Washington.
Trump also said on Monday that, through intermediaries, he had communicated with the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah and had obtained assurances the group would not launch an attack on Israel.
Saudi Arabia's benchmark index eased 0.1%, hit by a 0.9% fall in oil behemoth Saudi Aramco.
Brent crude futures lost 53 cents, or 0.56%, to $94.45 a barrel at 0649 GMT.
Dubai's main share index dropped 0.4%, with top lender Emirates NBD retreated 1.3%.
In an interview with CNBC, Trump said he would not be concerned if the talks ended. However, he later said in a social media post that discussions were continuing. He also told ABC News that he expected an agreement to be reached within the next week.
In Abu Dhabi, the index was flat in choppy trading.
The Qatari index added 0.3%, with the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank gaining 0.5%.
(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum)





















