Stock futures were near flat Tuesday as investors weighed rising tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices. They also looked ahead to minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 29 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both edged down about 0.1%.
The U.S. started a "series of powerful strikes" against Iran on Tuesday evening, retaliating for attacks against three commercial vessels traveling in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said. Earlier, the Treasury Department revoked a license that permitted Iran to sell its oil around the world in light of the attacks in the Hormuz Strait.
Asia-Pacific markets fell Wednesday as escalating tensions in the Middle East dented investor sentiment.
The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The latest exchange threatens to test a fragile ceasefire reached last month that reopened the critical Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping.
Investors' attention now turns to the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's June meeting, due at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday.
