Gift Nifty Close, July 15, 2026: Sensex, Nifty Poised for Cautious Open Thursday as War with Iran Escalates Again

Mumbai, July 15: Gift Nifty traded sharply during Wednesday’s cash session before closing flat, likely leaving Nifty 50 poised for a cautious open Thursday, July 16, after the U.S. and Iran exchanged new strikes overnight and Brent crude continued its rally beyond $86 per barrel. The front month contract of Gift Nifty ended last trading at 24,042.00, unchanged on the day. 

Gift Nifty Intraday Analysis 

Gift Nifty’s July 28, 2026 contract opened Wednesday’s session at 24,096.00 and ticked higher through midmorning trade to reach an intraday high of 24,214.50 by late morning. The contract came under heavy selling pressure in early afternoon trade, dropping sharply to an intraday low of 23,978.50. From there, it pared some losses to close flat at 24,042.00, unchanged on the day. 

The futures contract for Nifty50 for August 25, 2026 traded at 24,126.00, up 3.00 points, or 0.01 per cent, on the day. 

Nifty50’s resistance is at Wednesday’s high of 24,214.50 and support is at the day’s low of 23,978.50. Nifty 50 is likely to open in a tight, directionless range near 24,000-24,050 when trading resumes at 9:15 am Thursday. 

Tuesday’s cash session had ended sharply lower, with the Sensex down 561.46 points, or 0.72 per cent, at 77,054.94 and Nifty 50 down 158.95 points, or 0.66 per cent, at 24,052.05 as crude surged further on Iran tensions and triggered broad-based selling across markets. 

Iran War Escalates Again 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had reimposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports and would target Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations over its nuclear program, escalating military tensions with Tehran further. 

On Wednesday morning, the U.S. military said it carried out “precision strikes to set the Iranian regime back”, firing missiles at weapon storage facilities that U.S. forces believe were being used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later said it had shut the strait down again after hostilities resumed last week disrupted the truce the two countries reached in June. 

Iran’s army said in a statement early Wednesday that it had attacked U.S. positions at Jordan’s Azraq military base with drones, accusing Washington of trying to “disrupt” the security pact. The Guard later said it had launched strikes on weapons and ammunition facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, while the UAE said Iranian cruise missiles hit two Emirati oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, killing an Indian crew member and wounding eight others. 

Oil Extends Rally Past $86 

Oil prices advanced Wednesday, extending their rebound from last week’s lows. Brent crude rose 1.72 per cent to trade at $86.19 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate climbed 1.4 per cent to $80.40 a barrel. Both benchmarks are trading at their highest level in two sessions and highest since mid-June. 

Brent crude surged 15 per cent over the last seven days, marking its steepest weekly gain since tensions between Iran and the U.S. began erupting into violence in February. Concerns about supplies are mounting as approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz are at risk of being disrupted again. 

The International Monetary Fund had warned that should the war continue beyond mid-July, when it is due to next meet, global growth could be hit. That’s because consumers of oil have already begun tapping their strategic reserves of crude to offset some of the shock.

This could all change if market-moving news breaks overnight. Any surprises out of Washington or a sharp movement in crude oil could change our Nifty 50 outlook by Thursday’s market open. 

Source

• nseix.com
• https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-it-struck-us-air-base-jordan-us-military-ends-five-hours-attacks-2026-07-14/
• https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-rises-after-us-iran-hostilities-flare-again-with-strikes-energy-targets-2026-07-15/