Adds comment, updates for Asia market close
By Brijesh Patel
June 17 (Reuters) - Prices of most base metals in London slipped on Tuesday as a stronger U.S. dollar and escalating tensions between Israel and Iran dampened investor appetite.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.1% to $9,697 per metric ton, as of 0735 GMT.
LME aluminium was up 0.2% to $2,517.50 a ton, zinc fell 0.1% to $2,653.50, lead was down 0.8% to $1,990.50 and nickel shed 0.5% to $15,000. Tin was down 0.2% to $32,550.
A Singapore-based metals trader said the Israel-Iran conflict was causing investors to stay away from risk on Tuesday morning and pushing metals lower.
Israel and Iran attacked a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country's rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development.
U.S. stock futures slipped and oil prices climbed.
The dollar index rose 0.2% against its rivals. A firmer dollar makes greenback-priced commodities more expensive for buyers using other currencies.
Offering some respite, better-than-expected retail sales data from China on Monday hopes of a boost to metals demand in the country.
"Elevated US copper imports can continue to exacerbate ex-US physical (supply) tightness and support prices around $10,000/t. We are medium-term copper bulls and see an eventual S232 unwind as a good medium-term dip-buying opportunity," analysts at Citi said in a note.
The SHFE most-traded copper contract gained 0.3% to 78,570 yuan ($10,938.02) per metric ton.
SHFE aluminium was up 0.3% at 20,460 yuan a ton, lead slipped 0.4% to 16,860 yuan, nickel fell 0.9% to 118,570 yuan, while zinc gained 0.5% to 21,905 yuan and tin fell 0.3% to 263,730 yuan.
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($1 = 7.1832 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
((Brijesh.Patel1@thomsonreuters.com [Brijesh.Patel1@thomsonreuters.com]; Ph no. +91 9590227221;))
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