By Lucia MutikaniWASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) – U.S. economic growth slowed in the second quarter amid a widening in the trade deficit, but an acceleration in consumer spending and robust business investment in equipment related to the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure pointed to underlying strength. Gross domestic product increased at a 1.5% annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its advance estimate of second-quarter GDP on Thursday. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, surged at a 3.2% rate last quarter after abruptly slowing to a 0.5% growth pace in the January-March quarter. But economists warned that the U.S.-led war with Iran, now in its sixth month, posed a downside risk to demand and ultimately economic growth in the second half of the year. Economists expected the Fed to raise interest rates as soon as September to quell inflation, which also factored into their expectations for slower economic growth in the second half.