Mumbai, June 17 -- Domestic equity benchmarks slipped into the red on Tuesday, dragged down by rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Investor sentiment remained subdued ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision.

A spike in crude oil prices and persistent FII outflows further dampened mood on Dalal Street. The Nifty closed below the 24,900 mark.

IT stocks were the lone bright spot, buoyed by a stronger U.S. dollar. All other sectoral indices on the NSE ended lower, with pharma, healthcare, and metal stocks taking the biggest hit.

The S&P BSE Sensex declined 212.85 points or 0.26% to 81,583.30. The Nifty 50 index fell 93.10 points or 0.37% to 24,853.40.

Adani Enterprises (down 2.32%), Bajaj Finance (down 1.58%) and Reliance...