Tension between Western powers and Iran have also boosted energy prices during the past two days. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog reported that Iran is still refusing to end its nuclear program.

The situation is Iran rattled investors and tempered a tech rally spurred by a strong outlook from chip maker Analog Devices.

The Dow fell 52.39 to 12,686.02, while the S&P 500 was down 1.25 at 1,456.38. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 6.52 to 2,524.94. It is at a six-year high and has climbed to the half-way mark of its all-time high of 5,048.62 set on March 10, 2000.

Giving the energy markets an additional lift, stock indexes around the world have been climbing on robust economic outlooks.

Light crude rose 88 cents to $60.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after spiking as high as $61.25. It was the first time crude traded above the $61 mark since Dec. 29, and its highest close since it finished at $61.05 on that date.