(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 16 lug - European shares closed lower as tensions between the US and Iran grew after reports surfaced that US president Donald Trump is considering expanding military operations in Iran following a series of briefings with his closest aides.

Tech and memory chip stocks continued to struggle amid renewed AI jitters.

On the data front, the eurozone posted a trade in goods deficit of 7.8 billion euros with the rest of the world in May, compared with a surplus of 15.0 billion euros in May 2025 and a deficit of 1.2 billion euros in April 2026, according to figures from the European Union statistical office Eurostat.

The London FTSE 100 closed up 0.37% at 10,555.18 points, the Frankfurt DAX dropped 0.48% at 25,022.67 points, the Paris CAC 40 fell 0.23% at 8,363.09 points, while in Milan the FTSE MIB shed 0.07% at 52,373.96 points, and in Madrid the IBEX 35.

closed 0.42% lower at 19,274.79 points.

(RADIOCOR) 16-07-26 18:03:58 (0644) 5 NNNN