* Futures up: Dow 0.05%, S&P 500 0.15%, Nasdaq 0.35%

* Riot Platforms ( RIOT ) surges on report of $9 bln Anthropic deal

* On drops after Q2 net sales miss

* Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) drops post-potential delay to Neutron debut

(Updates with prices, adds analyst comments)

By Avinash P and Purvi Agarwal

Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures inched up on

Tuesday as signs of progress toward reopening the Strait of

Hormuz weighed on oil prices, though the inflation outlook

remained uncertain.

Talks between Oman and Iran over shipping in the crucial

waterway were now in an advanced stage, Qatar's foreign ministry

spokesperson said. This comes a day after an exchange of demands

between the United States and Iran complicated efforts to reopen

the strait.

Brent crude futures turned negative, after gaining

2% to cross one-week highs earlier in the session. Rising energy

costs have spurred inflation concerns and chances of increased

interest rates around the world.

Consumer and producer price inflation readings later this

week might shape market expectations on the U.S. Federal

Reserve's policy path, given its focus on the inflation mandate

and Chair Kevin Warsh's stance on cutting back forward guidance

on rates.

Whether the central bank would increase rates in September

or choose to pause has split traders almost evenly, according to

the CME FedWatch Tool.

"The July CPI report will help make the case for or against

a September rate hike - not just whether it surprises by a tenth

either way, but whether the divergence between CPI and the core

PCE gauge begins to narrow," said Laura Cooper, global

investment strategist and head of macro credit at Nuveen.

At 7:20 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 27 points, or

0.05%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 11.75 points, or 0.15%,

and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 103.75 points, or 0.35%.

Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Monday as

investors assessed the Middle East situation, though the S&P 500

and the Dow hovered near all-time highs.

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is about 2.1% below its

life-high but well above its lows in July, when the tech-heavy

index slid almost 10% from its peak.

Strong quarterly earnings in several sectors have boosted

U.S. stocks to new highs and signs of AI-related spending paying

off has eased some jitters.

Riot Platforms ( RIOT ) jumped 17.4% in premarket trading,

following a media report that the cloud-computing firm clinched

a $9 billion deal with Anthropic.

Intel ( INTC ) dipped 1%, extending Monday's losses, as it

announced the pricing of a $20 billion stock offering.

Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) slid 5.4% after appearing to push back

the timeline for the first flight of its Neutron rocket.

U.S.-listed shares of On dropped 16.2% after the

sportswear brand missed Wall Street sales estimates.

Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ) shed 5.4% after the telehealth

company posted a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss.

LNG company Venture Global ( VG ) slipped 6.5% after its

second-quarter revenue slightly missed estimates.

(Reporting by Avinash P and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing

by Joyjeet Das)