Trump extended deadline for attacks, peace deal
Pedestrians walk past the Exchange Square complex, home to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Hong Kong, China.
Paul Yeung | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets fell on Friday following a choppy overnight session on Wall Street as investors continued to analyze conflicting messages from the United States and Iran regarding the Middle East.
President Donald Trump on Friday extended his deadline for attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure by 10 days to April 6 to allow more time for negotiations.
Trump said the extension was at the request of the Islamic Republic government and was given in exchange for 10 oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz as a “gift” from Tehran.
“Per the request of the Government of Iran, please allow this statement to represent that I have paused the Power Plant demolition process,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. he said.
“Talks are ongoing and going very well, despite inaccurate statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media and others,” Trump added.
Washington has signaled in recent days that it wants a negotiated end to the conflict and has insisted that peace talks with the Islamic Republic are ongoing. Tehran denies direct talks with US
Oil prices rose on Thursday but later showed signs of easing amid signs of progress towards a US-Iran peace deal. West Texas Intermediate for May delivery was last down 1.3% at $93.29 a barrel as of 7:03 p.m. ET, while international benchmark Brent crude oil futures settled at $108.01 a barrel.
of Australia S&P/ASX 200 It was down 0.42% in early Asian trading.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.9%, while the broad-based Topix fell 0.4%.
South Korea’s blue-chip Kospi fell 3%, while small-cap Kosdaq fell 1.5%.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index Futures traded at 24,782, below the index’s last close of 24,856.43.
China will release industrial profit figures for the first two months of 2026 on Friday, offering an early read on the financial health of the country’s factories amid intense competition and sluggish demand.
