A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.<\/p>\n
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images<\/p>\n
LONDON \u2014 European stocks are expected to open in negative territory on Thursday as investors assess the prospects of a peace deal to end the Iran war.<\/p>\n
The U.K.’s FTSE<\/a> index is seen opening 0.9% lower, Germany’s DAX<\/a> down 1.1%, France’s CAC 40<\/a>\u00a0down 1% and Italy’s FTSE MIB<\/a> 0.6%, according to data from IG.<\/p>\n European bourses look set to follow their counterparts in Asia-Pacific<\/a> lower as investors weigh up mixed signals from U.S.-Iranian negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that talks with Iran\u00a0have made some progress<\/a>\u00a0and that “we’re going to give it every chance to succeed,” adding that the U.S. prefers “the negotiated diplomatic route.” <\/p>\n But President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0has said that he will not permit Iran to control the key Strait of Hormuz as part of a deal.<\/p>\n While a Reuters report said that Tehran had committed to restoring commercial traffic through Hormuz to pre-war levels within one month of an agreement with the U.S., citing Iranian state media, the White House said in a social media post that the report about a memorandum of understanding was “a complete fabrication.”<\/p>\n In the meantime, U.S. forces launched fresh strikes in Iran, according to MS Now<\/a> on Wednesday. These actions were “measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” a U.S. official told MS NOW in a statement. Oil prices rose<\/a> overnight following the developments.<\/p>\n