Futures shed over 1% after U.S. strike kills Iranian commander

By Medha Singh

(Reuters) - US stock index futures shed more than 1% on Friday after US airstrikes in Iraq, killing a top Iranian commander, a sharp rise in geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and reducing risk appetite .

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to take drastic revenge after Kasim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite force, killed in an airstrike in Baghdad that was authorized by President Donald Trump.

At 5:50 am ET, the Dow e-minis was down 347 points, or 1.2%. The S&P 500 e-minis was down 44 points or 1.35% and the Nasdaq 100 e-minis was down 139.75 points or 1.57%.

The news sent prices of alleged safe haven assets, which contained 1.3% gold.

Exxon Mobil Corp (N: XOM) and Chevron Corp (N: CVX) shares rose 1.3% and 1.2%, respectively, as oil prices jumped more than 4% in early trading.

Occidental Petroleum Corp (N: OXY) and Shalmberger (N: SLB) grew by about 2%, the major trademark among S&P 500-listed shares.

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