Asian shares mostly retreated on Wednesday after a sell-off in technology stocks on Wall Street, while oil prices climbed following fresh US airstrikes against Iran.
The US military launched attacks after US President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate, accusing Iran of bringing down an Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning.
Tehran vowed to respond, saying it "will leave no attack or threat unanswered".
The latest escalation has raised doubts about prospects for a lasting end to a conflict that has now lasted more than three months, unsettling markets already rattled by volatility in artificial intelligence-linked stocks.
However, despite the uncertainty over the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices were slightly lower in early trading on Tuesday.
