The FTSE 100 declined over 0.5% on Wednesday as escalating Middle East friction and climbing oil prices revived worries about persistent inflation. A fresh round of US military strikes in Iran raised doubts regarding the durability of their recent peace treaty, triggering a selloff in UK defense shares like Babcock, BAE Systems, and Rolls-Royce. Major pharmaceutical and consumer staples stocks, including AstraZeneca, GSK, Unilever, and British American Tobacco, each fell by roughly 1% or less, while mining companies slumped alongside weakening base metals prices. Conversely, oil majors BP and Shell advanced 1.6% and 0.6% respectively, riding the crude price surge. In the broader market, FTSE 250 homebuilder Vistry plummeted 11% following an operational update, an ongoing chief executive review, and the announced departure of its chief financial officer, despite projecting full year adjusted pretax profits to meet current market expectations.