(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 26 mar - European share prices were lower at midday, as investors grew skeptical over a near term de-escalation in the Middle East.

Sentiment was dampened by reports that Tehran has rejected the Trump administration's 15-point peace proposal, reigniting fears of a prolonged conflict.

This geopolitical friction, combined with the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, has pushed energy prices higher and fueled concerns that inflation will remain elevated for longer than previously anticipated.

On the data front, in February, the annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 slowed to 3.0% from 3.2% in January, which was revised from 3.3%, averaging 3.0% in the three months up to February, according to data released by the European Central Bank.

At 1050 GMT, London's FTSE 100 was down 1.04% at 10,001.34 points, while in Frankfurt the DAX fell 1.03% to 22,703.49 points and in Paris the CAC 40 dropped 0.66% to 7,794.54 points. Milan's FTSE MIB slumped 0.96% to 43,592.50 points while in Madrid the IBEX 35 was 0.86% lower at 17,021.96.

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(RADIOCOR) 26-03-26 12:04:14 (0333) 5 NNNN