Debris from a NATO air defense system that intercepted a missile launched from Iran is seen in Dortyol in Turkey’s southern Hatay province on March 4, 2026, in this screengrab from video.
Ihlas News Agency via reuters
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Monday as investors speculated on a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports after talks between Washington and Tehran to end the conflict in the Middle East failed.
The breakdown of talks in Islamabad over the weekend has reignited concerns that the US-Iran war could last longer than feared, sending oil prices soaring and weighing on economies around the world.
Crude oil prices rose on Sunday after talks ended without a deal and the US moved towards a blockade of Iranian port traffic. As of 11:45 pm ET, West Texas Intermediate jumped 8.54% to $104.82 a barrel. Brent crude rose 7.27% to $102.51 per barrel.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering resuming air strikes on Iran wall street journal. Trump on Tuesday last week agreed to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for Tehran allowing ships to pass through the strait. He had earlier threatened to bomb every bridge and power plant in Iran.
India’s Nifty 50 was the worst performing major Asian index, falling nearly 2%.
from japan Nikkei 225 fell 1.09%, while Topix lost 0.67%. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.26% in volatile trading, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.26%. in Australia, S&P/ASX 200 Was 0.53% less.
Mainland China’s CSI300 index declined 0.12%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index Initial losses widened and were 1.22% lower.
Overnight on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 517 points, or 1.1%. S&P 500 futures fell 1.1% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.2%.
– CNBC’s Sarah Min and spencer kimball Contributed to this report.
