Shares were mixed Tuesday in Asia after the U.S. military said it carried out what it called “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines. The attacks came even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations on ending the war were “proceeding nicely.” U.S. futures jumped. Oil prices were mixed, with Brent crude trading below $95 a barrel.The U.S. military said the strikes Monday were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” It said it used restraint due to the ceasefire with Iran, which gave no official response. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. With the status of peace talks with Iran unclear, markets have been swayed by various developments and comments by Trump.
“Markets are behaving as though a full Iran breakthrough already exists, even though the hardest parts of the negotiation remain unresolved,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management wrote in a commentary. “Washington continues to signal optimism, while Tehran insists no agreement is imminent.”
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Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.4% to 64,897.64, falling back from an all-time high close on Monday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index gained 0.3% to 25,668.55, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 0.7% to 4,122.87.
