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Most Gulf stock markets fell on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session, as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran weighed on investor sentiment.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.
The attacks came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran was "over."
Brent crude futures rose 86 cents, or 1.1%, to $78.88 a barrel by 0352 GMT.
Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index lost 0.4%, with Al Rajhi Bank declining 0.8%.
Dubai's main share index fell 0.8%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties slipping 1% and top lender Emirates NBD Bank down 0.7%. Budget carrier Air Arabia fell more than 2%.
Abu Dhabi's benchmark index slipped 0.5%, with the UAE's largest lender, First Abu Dhabi Bank, losing 0.6%.
Shares of Emirates Telecommunications Group eased 0.4%, a day after a media report of a widespread service outage.
In Qatar, the index dipped 0.8%, with the region's biggest lender, Qatar National Bank, down 1%.
(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff and Amna Mariyam in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)





















