New Delhi, April 2 -- Wall Street's key stock indices recovered most of their earlier losses on Thursday, as investors assessed emerging reports of diplomatic efforts - specifically coordination between Iran and Oman - to establish a transit protocol for the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said it was drafting a protocol with Oman for traffic through the Strait.

At 12:05 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 140.30 points, or 0.30%, to 46,425.44, the S&P 500 lost 11.64 points, or 0.18%, to 6,563.58 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 50.56 points, or 0.23%, to 21,790.38.

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 96.4 points, or 0.21%, to 46,469.36. The S&P 500 fell 62.7 points, or 0.95%, to 6,512.61​, while t...