(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 13 mar - European share prices opened lower, amid the intensifying conflict in the Middle East and its impact on global energy markets.

Sentiment remains under pressure following a pledge by Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, a move that has kept oil prices hovering around the 100 dollars per barrel mark. This comes despite the Trump administration issuing a temporary authorization for buyers to take Russian oil cargoes currently stranded at sea in an attempt to ease supply constraints.

On the data front, wholesale prices in Germany rose 0.6% in February compared to the previous month and grew 1.2% on an annual basis.

In the UK, real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.2% in the three months to January.

Meanwhile, in Spain, consumer prices rose by 0.4% month on month in February and by 2.3% year on year, matching January's annual inflation rate. Harmonised for European Union purposes, Spanish inflation increased to an annual 2.5%, up from 2.4% in the previous month.

At 0812 GMT, London's FTSE 100 was down 0.80% at 10,222.32 points, while in Frankfurt the DAX fell 0.96% to 23,346.20 points and in Paris the CAC 40 was 1.12% lower at 7,895.00 points. Milan's FTSE MIB slumped 1.14% to 43,951.50 points while in Madrid the IBEX 35 was 1.36% lower at 16,906.90.

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(RADIOCOR) 13-03-26 09:16:40 (0183) 5 NNNN