Ankara: European stock markets closed mostly lower on Wednesday as escalating tensions between the US and Iran drove oil prices higher and investors awaited the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision.

According to Anadolu Agency, the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index fell 0.29% to close at 645.01 points. France's CAC 40 dropped 0.6% to 8,408.27, and Germany's DAX 40 edged down 0.01% to 25,460.48. Italy's FTSE MIB 30 declined 0.49% to 51,443.11, and Spain's IBEX 35 fell 1.59% to 19,412.70.

Bucking the regional trend, the UK's FTSE 100 gained 0.34% to finish at 10,908.41 points, supported by energy and mining stocks. Technology stocks were among the biggest drags on the European market as the global sell-off in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares continued. Shares of Dutch semiconductor equipment producer ASM International fell about 4.7%, despite the company issuing an upbeat outlook. Sentiment toward the sector weakened after South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix's quarterly results failed to meet elevated investor expectations.

Energy shares, meanwhile, advanced as crude oil prices surged following renewed hostilities between the US and Iran. Brent crude rose more than 7% during the session, exceeding $90 per barrel and raising concerns about energy supplies and inflation.

In corporate trading, French luxury group Kering jumped about 17% after the decline in sales at its Gucci brand was smaller than expected. Glencore gained around 2.8% after reporting stronger copper production, while UBS rose about 1% following higher profit and new share buyback plans. Deutsche Bank advanced about 1.1% after posting record second-quarter pretax profit.

Investors also remained cautious before the Fed's interest rate decision later Wednesday and earnings reports from major US technology companies, including Microsoft and Meta.