Oil prices rose and stocks fell on Thursday after the United States said it shot down four Iranian attack drones and carried out airstrikes against a drone control post, marking the second exchange of hostilities in three days between the two countries.
A US official said the drones posed a threat to US forces in the region and to the small commercial shipping that still moves through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route for oil and gas tankers.
The latest confrontation renewed doubts about the prospects for a peace deal, despite continued assurances from President Trump and administration officials that a deal is close.
