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 early on Wednesday after an Army helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident President Donald Trump blamed on Iran. 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.
Uncertainty over the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz also pushed oil prices higher.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 0.9% to $92.30 a barrel after falling the previous day. Before the conflict began in late February, Brent traded at around $70 a barrel.
