June 11 (Reuters) - Indian shares opened lower on Thursday, as a fresh escalation in the Middle East conflict and a sharp jump in U.S. inflation readings triggered risk-off sentiment across global equities.

The benchmark Nifty 50 was down 0.48% at 23,104.4, while the BSE Sensex shed 0.5% to 73,615.99, as of 9:15 a.m. IST.

All 16 major sectors logged losses at the open. The broader small-caps and mid-caps fell about 0.5% each.

The United States launched new strikes against multiple targets in Iran, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump vowed even more attacks if no peace deal is secured. 

The escalation pushed Brent crude futures up 1.7% to $94.7 per barrel, while Asian stocks dropped 0.8%. [MKTS/GLOB]

Meanwhile, data released overnight showed that U.S. consumer inflation increased in May at its fastest pace in three years, driven by surging energy prices amid the Middle East conflict, raising the risk of a prolonged period of high interest rates.

Higher U.S. interest rates tend to make emerging market equities less attractive for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).

(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M and Bharath Rajeswaran; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Sonia Cheema)