US pre-open: Futures lower as Middle East tensions linger despite extended pause
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Friday 27 Mar 2026
(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were in the red ahead of the opening bell on Friday after Donald Trump extended his deadline to attack Iran's energy infrastructure.
As of 1200 GMT, Dow Jones futures were down 0.27%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had thee indices opening 0.30% and 0.52% weaker, respectively.
The Dow closed 469.38 points lower on Thursday, while the Nasdaq officially entered correction territory.
Trump said he would extend a pause on strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure until 6 April, pushing back an earlier deadline that had been due to expire today. He said the pause was being made "as per Iranian government request", adding that talks were "ongoing" and "going very well".
His announcement was the latest signal that the Trump administration was seeking a path toward ending the conflict with Iran, which has driven oil prices sharply higher and added pressure on consumers ahead of the midterm elections.
However, uncertainty persisted after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly told state media that Tehran had no intention of holding direct talks with Washington, even as senior officials reviewed America's proposal to end the war. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was weighing the deployment of a further 10,000 US troops to the Middle East, according to people familiar with the matter.
Oil prices continued to climb on the back of the ongoing certainty surrounding the conflict, with Brent crude up 2.55% at $110.76 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate 2.17% higher at $96.53 a barrel.
On the macro front, the University of Michigan's March consumer sentiment index will be released at 1400 GMT.
In the corporate space, cruise operator Carnival was slated to report earnings before the opening bell.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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