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 had a mixed start on Monday, as investors weighed 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. By 7:45 pm ET, West Texas Intermediate jumped 8.65% to $105.22 a barrel. Brent crude rose 8.4% to $103.6 a barrel.
It is unclear whether US President Donald Trump will resume air strikes on Iran. 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.
from japan Nikkei 225 The Chicago futures contract was poised to open lower at 56,150, compared with the index’s previous close of 56,924.11.
hong kong Hang Seng Index The futures stood at 25,964 compared to the index’s last close of 25,893.54.
In Australia, futures last traded at 9,056, which is higher than S&P/ASX 200Last closed at 8,960.60.
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.
