Buy or sell stocks, Sept. 2 -- Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed slightly lower on Tuesday, weighed down by elevated crude oil prices and renewed tensions between the US and Iran, which dampened investor sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex ended 12.99 points, or 0.02 per cent, lower at 76,944.28 after a highly volatile session. The index was trading at 76,685.48 at 3:12 pm, down 271.79 points, before recovering most of its losses during the Closing Auction Session (CAS), which the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) began implementing in a phased manner from August 3.

During the session, the Sensex fell as much as 301.15 points, or 0.39 per cent, to hit an intraday low of 76,656.12.

Meanwhile, the 50-share NSE Nifty de...