The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is probing Amazon.com Inc.'s deal with Apple Inc. to directly sell iPhones and other products on its online marketplace, suspecting anti-competitive conduct, The Verge reported Aug. 2.

The report said the deal, which was struck to tackle counterfeit or misleadingly marketed products, affected small sellers who were offering low-cost and refurbished Apple products. According to the terms of the deal, Amazon removed listings of Apple products sold by third-party sellers that were not authorized by the iPhone and iPad manufacturer.

The news comes after the European Union's antitrust watchdog opened an investigation into whether Amazon's use of sensitive data breaches EU competition rules.

The FTC and Amazon did not immediately respond to S&P Global Market Intelligence's request for comment.