* Futures up: Dow 0.32%, S&P 500 0.75%, Nasdaq 1.49%

* Intel ( INTC ) up after Trump says company to partner with Apple ( AAPL ) on

chip design

* Weekly jobless claims awaited later in the day

(Updates with prices)

By Twesha Dikshit and Joel Jose

June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures bounced back on

Thursday as optimism about a Middle East peace deal lifted

sentiment, tempering worries about a hawkish Federal Reserve

under new Chair Kevin Warsh.

All three major indexes fell in the previous session as

investors priced in the likelihood of more Federal Reserve rate

hikes, after Warsh underscored the need to curb inflation and

other policymakers signaled higher borrowing costs ahead.

"The combination of a new chair regime, hawkish projections,

and a wide dispersion of views implies a higher bar for

near-term action in either direction," said Mark Haefele, chief

investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management.

"In our view, this points to an extended period of policy on

hold, with meaningful adjustments more likely once the task

force process is complete, and the committee has greater clarity

on the economic outlook."

Markets are currently pricing in a 50% chance of a

25-basis-point rate hike in September, according to CME Group's

FedWatch tool, higher than 27% priced in on Wednesday.

Still, oil prices sliding to a more than three-month low kept

alive the hope that inflation could be tamed without hiking

interest rates.

Meanwhile, the United States and Iran released the text of an

interim agreement their presidents have signed to end the war,

extending the April ceasefire by another 60 days to allow the

two sides to reach a final deal.

Intel's ( INTC ) shares rose 8.4% in premarket trading after

U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple ( AAPL ) had agreed to

work with the company to design and manufacture its chips in the

United States.

Other technology stocks were also higher. Nvidia ( NVDA )

rose 1.3%, while Micron and Marvell Technology ( MRVL )

added 4.6% and 5.5%, respectively.

At 07:06 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 165 points,

or 0.32%, and S&P 500 E-minis were up 56.25 points, or

0.75%. Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 441.5 points, or

1.49%.

Markets have regained ground from a slump in early June,

with a resilient economy, a broadening rally beyond tech shares

and optimism surrounding a U.S.-Iran deal boosting sentiment.

Economic data on Wednesday showed U.S. retail sales

increased more than expected in May, with households purchasing

more cars and other vehicles even as they paid higher prices for

gasoline.

The Nasdaq and the blue-chip Dow were on

track to end higher for a second consecutive week before

Friday's Juneteenth holiday.

Thursday also marks the once-in-a-quarter simultaneous

expiry of derivatives contracts tied to stocks, index options

and futures, also known as "triple witching", which can boost

trading volume and aggravate volatility.

Investors will also be watching weekly jobless claims data,

due at 8:30 a.m. ET, for fresh clues on the health of the labor

market.

Among other early movers, Rumble jumped 16% after

rebranding to RUM Group and closing its acquisition of German AI

cloud company Northern Data.

Smith & Wesson soared 15.3% after reporting a

fourth-quarter rise in sales.

Shares of Accenture ( ACN ) tumbled 11.1% after trimming the

top end of its annual revenue forecast. The company also

announced plans to acquire a majority stake in Dragos and fully

buy runZero and NetRise in a combined deal valued at $4.18

billion.

(Reporting by Twesha Dikshit; Editing by Pooja Desai and Devika

Syamnath)