US-Iran Peace Talks Hit Deadlock, US Stock Futures Under Pressure Across the Board, Spot Silver Plunges 6%

TradingKey - On Thursday, peace talks between the U.S. and Iran hit a substantive deadlock, with the timing of the war's end remaining uncertain, casting a geopolitical shadow over global financial markets once again. U.S. stock futures fell across the board, and capital risk appetite came under significant pressure.

As of 8:00 a.m. ET, Dow Jones futures contracts fell 423 points, or 0.91%, while Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.14% and S&P 500 futures declined 0.96%.

U.S. storage sector stocks fell collectively in pre-market trading; Micron Technology ( MU) fell nearly 3%, SanDisk ( SNDK) fell nearly 4%, Western Digital ( WDC) fell nearly 3%, Seagate Technology ( STX) dropped more than 2%.

Precious metals markets suffered a sharp decline, with spot silver ( XAGUSD) falling 6.0% intraday to $66.93 per ounce; New York silver fell 7.5% intraday to $67.16 per ounce.

According to reports, the Iranian capital Tehran was hit by airstrikes on the 25th local time, with explosions heard in several areas across the city; no casualties have been reported yet. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi subsequently stated that over the past few days, the U.S. has conveyed proposals to end the war through several friendly nations, which the Iranian leadership is currently reviewing, though he added that Iran's "exchange of information" through these mediators does not mean negotiations with the U.S.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Trump recently told his advisors that he wants a "quick" end to the war against Iran, aiming to terminate hostilities "in the coming weeks." The report cited sources familiar with the matter as saying: "As the conflict nears the one-month mark, the President privately informed his advisors that he believes the war has entered its final stage, urging them to follow the 4-to-6-week timeline he publicly proposed (at the start of the conflict)."