Mumbai, July 15 -- Stocks rose Tuesday after a report showed U.S. inflation was not as bad last month as economists expected. That was even though oil prices continued to climb on worries that the United States and Iran may return to all-out war.

The S&P 500 added 0.4% to recover some of its 0.8% loss from the prior day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 9 points or less than 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.9%.

Fighting in the Middle East is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that oil tankers use to exit the Persian Gulf and deliver crude to customers worldwide. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, briefly topped $87 in the morning. Following its leap of nearly 10% o...