Oil prices jump and Dow plummets 1.8% after Israel’s attack on Iran stokes fears of wider war

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices leapt and stocks plunged Friday on worries that escalating violence following Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets could damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.

The S&P 500 fell 1.1%; the Dow dropped 1.8%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.3%.

The strongest action was in the oil market, where the price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude jumped 7.3% to $72.98, returning to where it was earlier this year.