US stock markets fell on Thursday as investors continued to monitor geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The fall came amid growing uncertainty over US-Iran efforts to end the conflict in the region.
However, the White House insisted that negotiations were underway as President Donald Trump's administration reportedly sent a 15-point proposal to Iran.
Washington delivered the proposal via Pakistan to Tehran as an incentive to end the 4-week conflict.
Iran's top authorities are reviewing the US plan but have signaled that they have no intention of starting talks with Washington.
Tehran is also reported to reject a ceasefire offer from the US and submit a 5-point proposal that includes a claim to full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
In terms of the performance of major indices, the Dow Jones rose 0.66%, the S&P 500 jumped 0.54%, while the Nasdaq Composite strengthened 0.77%.
Investors' attention is now focused on the latest weekly jobless claims data, which is expected to be released on Thursday, for new signals on labor market conditions.
