US EditionSouth Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei tumble more than 5% as Trump-Iran threats escalate
South Korea's Kospi dropped 6.2% and Japan's Nikkei slid sharply amid fears of prolonged Middle East conflict and volatile oil prices, analysts said.
- On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 23:44 GMT on Monday or face power plant strikes.
- With the waterway effectively closed, disrupting about a fifth of global oil and gas, regional fighting intensified as Israel's military expanded ground operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
- Asian equity markets plunged, with Seoul and Tokyo shedding as much as six and five percent while Brent North Sea Crude rose to $112.68, West Texas Intermediate hit $98.95, and South Korea's won fell to 1,510 per dollar.
- The International Energy Agency warned of the worst energy crisis in decades as Fatih Birol said 'The global economy is facing a major, major threat today', while Pepperstone's Chris Weston noted Trump's next steps could reshape markets through the immediate week into month and quarter end.
- The Iran-flagged vessel Nora was in Kalundborg harbor on March 18, 2026, after detention, while Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned U.S. government bond buyers would be legitimate targets and U.S. stock futures were little changed Sunday night amid volatile crude markets.
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80 Articles
Radio France Internationale
Asian stocks tumble as Trump gives Iran 48-hour ultimatum
Stocks in Seoul, Tokyo and Taiwan also fell sharply at the opening bell on Monday, as investors worried about US President Donald Trump's threat on Saturday night to attack Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened within 48 hours.
Asian stocks fell after the United States and Iran traded threats over the weekend as the Middle East war entered its fourth week. Japan's Nikkei225 index fell 3.4 percent in morning trading, while South Korea's Kospi fell nearly 5 percent, according to the BBC. US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz, saying he would "destroy" Iran's power plants if it did not. The Iranian military respon…
Asian markets volatile as Trump issues 48-hour ultimatum to Iran over
Asian equity markets in red on Monday as the standoff between US President Donald Trump and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz intensified, pushing oil prices higher and further fueling global inflation worries. With the conflict now entering its fourth week
The Asian Stock Exchanges start the week in sharp decline on Monday, with their eyes on the ultimatum launched by US President Donald Trump in Iran for the reopening of the Ormuz Strait, through which nearly 20% of the world's oil production flows.
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