Mideast stocks-Most Gulf bourses ease amid escalating US-Iran hostilities

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index .TASI eased 0.1%, weighed down by a 1.1% slide in Saudi Arabian Mining Company 1211.SE. Oil major Saudi Aramco 2222.SE, on the other hand, added 0.4%.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $3.58, or 3.51%, at $104.79 a barrel by 1236 GMT.

Dubai's main share index .DFMGI fell 0.4%, with a 0.7% drop in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties EMAR.DU.

"Investor sentiment across GCC bourses continues to be dominated by caution following recent escalations," said George Pavel, General Manager at Naga.com Middle East. "Tehran's rhetoric, disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sustained strikes on tankers are stoking fears of a protracted standoff, further clouded by the uncertain trajectory of Oman-Iran negotiations."

In Abu Dhabi, the index .FTFADGI edged 0.1% higher.

The Qatari index .QSI lost 0.3%, with the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank QNBK.QA retreating 1.4%.