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Mount Fuji and the Shinjuku skyline in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Asia-Pacific markets looked set to rise Tuesday after a sharp drop in oil prices eased investor concerns, following signs of de-escalation in the Middle East conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had instructed the U.S. military to delay planned strikes on Iran's power plants and energy facilities for five days, after discussions with Iranian officials.
However, Iranian state media, citing an unnamed senior security official in a Telegram post, disputed Trump's account, denying that any talks had taken place between Washington and Tehran.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose over 1.32% in early trade.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was poised to jump, with the Chicago contract at 52,970 and the futures contract in Osaka at 52,980 compared with the index's previous close of 51,515.49.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 25,020, compared with the index's last close of 24,382.47.
Oil prices tumbled on Monday following Trump's comments.
"I AM PLEASE TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST," Trump said Monday in a Truth Social post.
Crude prices were largely stable in early trading in Asia on Tuesday. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate was about 1.5% higher at $89.5 per barrel.
Overnight in the U.S., stocks rallied Monday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 631 points, or 1.38%, to close at 46,208.47. The S&P 500 rose 1.15% and ended at 6,581.00, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.38% and settled at 21,946.76.
Before Trump's comments, posted on Truth Social early Monday, futures pointed to more losses for equity markets under siege from skyrocketing oil prices and uncertainty about the duration of the Iran conflict. But after Trump's comments, Dow futures briefly surged more than 1,000 points.
—CNBC's Sean Conlon and John Melloy contributed to this report.
