US Stock Futures Drop By More Than 1% Following Attack on Ayn al-Asad Base in Iraq - Reports

The US stock futures on the S&P 500 Index have declined by more than 1 percent following the attack on an Iraqi airbase that contains American forces, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

China's stock market has also come under pressure amid the Middle East tensions. Shanghai Composite and CSI300 indexes have also dropped by more than 0.5 percent in early trade, Reuters reported.

Bloomberg added that oil prices, however, went up after reports of the attack. According to Reuters, WTI is now up more than 4.5 percent to $65.50 a barrel.

Gold is also above $1600, reports say. Gold prices have been hitting their highest level since 2013 ever since the death of Gen. Soleimani on 3 January, the Economist reported.

Amid the rising confrontation between Wahington and Tehran, Japan's Nikkei share average extends have also fallen by 2.18 percent, below 23,000, according to Reuters. This is the lowest number since November 2019.

The Topix index is also down 1.91 percent.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) have taken responsibility for firing several rockets targeting US assets, including Ayn al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, in a move dubbed Operation Martyr Soleimani, according to Iranian state TV.

Washington officials have confirmed the attack on Ayn al-Asad Air Base, adding that President Trump was monitoring the situation.

It was reported earlier in the day that shares on Wall Street ended down as investors and traders struggled to find new optimism to restart the market's rally from last year amid US-Iran tensions. The top US stocks barometer, the S&P500, settled down 0.3 percent at 3,237 after opening flat and seesawing between negative and positive territory throughout the day.