Mumbai, April 16 -- Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty surged nearly 2% on Wednesday as crude oil prices fell below the $100 per barrel mark amid hopes of renewed diplomatic engagement between the US and Iran. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,263.67 points or 1.64% to settle at 78,111.24. During the day, it zoomed 1,422.85 points or 1.85%% to 78,270.42. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 388.65 points or 1.63% to end at 24,231.30. Among the 30-Sensex firms, InterGlobe Aviation, Eternal, Power Grid, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, and Larsen & Toubro were the major gainers. Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were the laggards. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading at $95.74 per barrel, up by 1.4%. US President Donald Trump has said that the war with Iran is "close to over," asserting that if he pulled up stakes right now, it would take Tehran 20 years to rebuild the country. "I think it's close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over," Trump told Fox News in an interview that will be telecast later Wednesday. As per a US media report on Tuesday, Trump said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held in Islamabad "over the next two days". "The primary trigger for today's rally was a visible de-escalation in geopolitical concerns. Reports indicating a potential easing of tensions in the West Asia, along with renewed hopes around US-Iran dialogue, helped restore risk appetite. "This shift was further reinforced by a sharp decline in crude oil prices, with Brent falling below the 95 dollar mark. For an import-dependent economy like India, this provides meaningful relief by easing inflation pressures, supporting the currency, and improving margin outlook across sectors," Hariprasad K., Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said. In Asian markets, South Korea's benchmark Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended higher. Markets in Europe were trading on a mixed note. US markets ended in positive territory on Tuesday. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.96%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.18%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher by 0.66%....