New Delhi, March 5 -- Major US stock indices opened lower on Thursday as oil prices climbed amid increasing disruptions to energy markets from the Middle East war.

As of 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.1% higher.

At the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 212.7 points, or 0.44%, to 48526.73. The S&P 500 fell 18.4 points, or 0.27%, to 6851.08, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 100.0 points, or 0.44%, to 22707.468.

Global petroleum costs climbed after Iran's latest series of strikes targeting Israel, American bases, and their Gulf allies. This confrontation has persisted since the United States and Israel initiated coordinated opera...