(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 2 apr - European shares closed lower, as investors reacted to a hawkish prime-time address by US president Donald Trump and fresh trade tensions ahead of the Easter long weekend.

Markets retreated from yesterday's gains following Trump's vow to hit Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks to conclude "Operation Epic Fury," effectively dashing hopes for an immediate ceasefire.

Sentiment was further dampened by reports that the US administration may impose 100% tariffs on branded drugs for pharmaceutical companies lacking domestic investment agreements with the White House.

On the data front, the Bank of Italy's e-coin indicator for the eurozone fell to 0.48 in March from 0.54 in February, a decline recorded even before the full impact of the Persian Gulf conflict was measured.

The London FTSE 100 closed up 0.69% at 10,436.29 points, the Frankfurt DAX fell 0.54% at 23,149.88 points, the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.24% at 7,962.39 points, while in Milan the FTSE MIB slipped 0.20% at 45,624.94 points, and in Madrid the IBEX 35.

closed 0.21% lower at 17,544.03 points.

(RADIOCOR) 02-04-26 18:14:18 (0563) 5 NNNN