(Updates with index/price moves and political/company news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes traded mixed as a sharp sell-off in mega-cap semiconductor names weighed on the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500.

The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.4% to 25,794.7, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.9% to 7,402.5 in midday trading Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 51,822.5.

Technology and industrials were the standout decliners intraday.

In a category of stocks with a market capitalization of over $200 billion, 17 out of the bottom 20 stocks were technology firms. Sandisk (SNDK), Micron Technology (MU), and Qualcomm (QCOM) were the steepest decliners, down by at least 10% intraday. Within technology, semiconductors bore the brunt of investors' apathy.

In geopolitical news, the Strait of Hormuz will remain open "with no further naval blockade," and Iran has agreed to the "highest level nuclear inspections," Al Jazeera cited US President Donald Trump as saying. Tehran has no plans to allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities, the Middle East news agency cited Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.

Front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent retreated 1.1% to $77.07 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate slid 0.9% to $73.21 per barrel.