08:14 AM EDT, 07/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were mixed pre-bell Thursday as traders observed the recent rise in hostilities between the US and Iran, which threatened to derail peace talks between the two nations.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.1% lower, S&P 500 futures were up 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.7% higher.

In a post on X, US Central Command said it completed a second round of strikes, hitting 90 more Iranian military targets. The US military had struck 80 Iranian targets the day before in response to Iran's attacks on three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump told reporters that Iran had reached out and "badly" wanted to make a deal to halt the escalating hostilities in the Middle East. Trump said he does not know if the two nations are returning to an all-out conflict, but added that the US would win "very quickly" if the war resumed.

Traders also digested the latest round of earnings, with PepsiCo ( PEP ) posting higher fiscal Q2 core earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.5% at $78.46 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.4% higher at $73.82 per barrel.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin is expected to show 217,000 new unemployment claims for the week ended July 4, up from 215,000 in the prior week, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

The existing home sales report, scheduled for release at 10 am ET, is expected to show an increase of 1.0% for June after a gain of 3.2% in the prior month.

New York Federal Reserve President John Williams and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan are slated to speak on Thursday.