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

At 11:53 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 786.98 points, or 1.61%, to 47,952.43, the S&P 500 lost 49.45 points, or 0.72%, to 6,820.05 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 92.73 points, or 0.41%, to 22,714.76.

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 persiste...