Wall Street Slides on Opening Bell as Oil Surges Past $100 Amid Iran War Jitters

Oil prices have surged to multi-year highs as the escalating Iran war threatens Middle East supply routes, sending stocks lower.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 7, 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Wall Street’s main indexes opened in the red on March 9 as investors reacted to a surge in oil prices and escalating tensions in the Iran war, which threatened energy supplies and rattled global financial markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all slipped at the opening bell as traders responded to rising crude prices and mounting geopolitical uncertainty.