US equity futures were higher pre-bell Tuesday as traders kept a close watch on the potential re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.4% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.8% higher.

The UAE said that it was attacked by Iranian drones and missiles, while the US said it sank Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump had said that the US would help guide vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf. In a post Monday on Truth Social, he said that a South Korean cargo ship had been damaged by Iran, but the US had shot down seven Iranian small boats.

"Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait," Trump said.

Traders digested the latest round of earnings, with Palantir Technologies (PLTR) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) reporting higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue. HSBC (HSBC) also posted an increase in Q1 earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 2.2% at $111.91 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 3.2% lower at $103.04 per barrel.

The US international trade deficit widened to $60.31 billion in March from a $57.78 billion gap in February, compared with a $61.0 billion gap expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:40 am ET.

The S&P Global purchasing managers' index composite final report for April, due at 9:45 am ET, is seen reporting 52.1 versus 52.0 previously.

March new home sales report, due at 10 am ET, is expected to post a 652,000 annual rate. The April Institute for Supply Management's services index is projected at 53.7 versus 54.0 previously. March job openings from the US Department of Labor's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey are expected to come in at 6.850 million compared with 6.882 million in the prior month.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman and Fed Governor Michael Barr are due to speak today.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei and China's Shanghai Composite were closed due to public holidays. Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.8% lower. The UK's FTSE 100 was down 1.4%, and Germany's DAX index was 1.6% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Intel (INTC) shares were up 3.8% after Bloomberg reported the Apple (AAPL) has held early discussions with the company and Samsung Electronics on producing key device processors in the US. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) stock was up 6.6% after the company reported fiscal Q1 underlying earnings and revenue that beat analysts' estimates. Pinterest (PINS) shares were up 18% after the company posted higher Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue that beat analysts' consensus.

On the losing side, Palantir and HSBC shares were down 1.3% and 3.9%, respectively, after they reported Q1 financial results. Shopify (SHOP) stock was 5.9% lower after the company reported a Q1 loss while analysts expected earnings.