* TSX futures down 0.13%

* Oil prices rise over 3%

April 9 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock

index inched lower on Thursday as investors weighed

developments in the Middle East, while uncertainty over the

reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher.

June futures on the S&P/TSX index were down 0.13%

at 5:22 a.m. ET (9:22 a.m. GMT).

* United States President Donald Trump warned of major

escalation in the Iran war if the peace process failed, adding

that the military assets will remain in that region until a deal

is reached.

* Iran had signaled a risk to the ceasefire on Wednesday,

following Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Washington's insistence

on Tehran abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

* Oil prices rose, with futures for Brent crude and

the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude trading above $97

a barrel.

* Spot gold gained 0.3%, and silver was down

0.1%.

* The U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes from March 17-18

meeting showed openness among policymakers for rate hikes citing

risks of inflation due to oil shock.

* The Fed's preferred inflation gauge, Personal Consumption

Expenditure (PCE) data for February, is scheduled for release at

8:30 a.m. ET.

* Canada's benchmark stock index closed at a

five-week high on Wednesday, as U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement

sparked a relief rally.

* In after-the-bell results on Wednesday, aerospace tech

firm Firan Technology's ( FTGFF ) quarterly revenue beat

estimates.

FOR CANADIAN MARKETS NEWS, CLICK ON CODES:

TSX market report

Canadian dollar and bonds report

Reuters global stocks poll for Canada

Canadian markets directory

(Reporting by Utkarsh Tushar Hathi; Editing by Joyjeet Das)