European stocks were down on the heels of fresh military action in the Middle East which raised oil prices and cast doubt on peace in the region.
The U.S. said its new strikes against Iran were limited and defensive in nature and came after Iran launched drones at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Approaching midday, the FTSE 100, the CAC 40 and the DAX were in negative territory. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down, losing ground from Wednesday's higher close.
The moves reiterate just how much markets continue to be swayed by headlines out of the Middle East and by the shifting probabilities of an agreement between the U.S. and Iran, ABN Amro said.
"Negative headlines leave markets in limbo, preventing sustained relief dynamics," Commerzbank said, adding that it expects this to also weigh on eurozone government bond yield spreads.
