European equity markets closed in negative territory on Tuesday, with the broad Stoxx Europe 600 index falling 0.38% to 639.31 points.
The sell-off was driven by lingering uncertainty surrounding potential diplomatic developments between the United States and Iran, which kept investors on the sidelines despite a positive start on Wall Street earlier in the day.
The UK's FTSE 100 mirrored the broader regional weakness, dropping 0.38% to 10,478.34 points.
Italy's FTSE MIB 30 also retreated, sliding 0.15% to 51,604.56 points.
In contrast, Germany's DAX bucked the downward trend, closing flat or slightly positive, highlighting a divergence in investor appetite across major European hubs.
This session marks a continuation of the cautious tone that has characterized European trading in recent days.