A screen displays share prices inside the Kabuto One building in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, April 13, 2026. Oil surged and stocks fell after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran following the collapse of weekend peace talks. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed Friday as investors weighed fresh military activity involving Iran against signs that Washington and Tehran were nearing a temporary agreement to halt their three-month conflict.
Iran’s armed forces reportedly fired missiles at unspecified targets late Thursday, according to state media outlet Fars.
The latest military activity in southern Iran came just hours after the Pentagon said Tehran had fired a ballistic missile toward Kuwait and deployed attack drones in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier on Thursday, a White House official confirmed an Axios report saying the U.S. and Iran had “mostly agreed” on the terms of a deal aimed at temporarily halting the three-month conflict.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was poised to rise, with the Chicago futures contract at 65,795 and the Osaka counterpart last trading at 65,800 compared with the index’s previous close of 64,693.12.
In Australia, futures last traded higher at 8,675, compared with the S&P/ASX 200‘s last close of 8,592.90.
However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were last down at 24,995, slightly lower than the index’s last close of 25,006.16.
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