Indian benchmark indices fell sharply in early trade on Wednesday as fresh US strikes on Iran escalated the Middle East conflict, sending oil prices higher and rattling global markets. ^[1] The BSE Sensex shed 0.61% to 76,471.32 and the Nifty 50 fell 0.82% to 23,858 as of 9:15 am on Wednesday. ^[2] The Indian rupee gained 47 paise to trade at 94.26 against the US dollar in early Thursday trade. ^[3] The Reserve Bank of India reported that foreign currency non-resident deposits had brought in $127.226 billion as of August 31 under a special programme. ^[4] The BSE Sensex climbed 334.16 points, or 0.44 percent, to reach 76,904.51 in morning trade on September 3, 2026. ^[5] Iran reported missile and drone attacks against US positions in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq. ^[6] The US Central Command said its latest operation targeted Iranian air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites. ^[7] Forex traders stated that the rupee was being supported by strong underlying inflows and aggressive intervention by the RBI. ^[8] Including overseas foreign-currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings, the measures attracted total inflows of $136.377 billion. ^[9] Bank stocks led the recovery during the trading session. ^[10] The article was last updated on September 3, 2026, at 05:12 IST. ^[11]