Pedestrians walk past the Exchange Square complex, which houses the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
Paul Yeung | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set to open lower Friday following a volatile session on Wall Street overnight, as investors continued to parse the contradictory messaging on the Middle East from the U.S. and Iran.
President Donald Trump extended his Friday deadline to attack Iran's energy infrastructure by 10 days to April 6 to allow more time for negotiations.
The extension was at the request of the government of the Islamic Republic, Trump said, and it was granted in exchange for 10 oil tankers that passed through the Strait of Hormuz as a "present" from Tehran.
"As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," Trump added.
Washington has in recent days signaled it wants a negotiated end to the conflict and insisted that peace talks with the Islamic Republic had been ongoing. Tehran has denied that it is in direct talks with the U.S.
Oil prices rose Thursday but later showed signs of easing amid signs of progress towards a U.S.-Iran peace deal. The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery was last down 1.3% at $93.29 per barrel as of 7:03 p.m. ET, while international benchmark Brent crude oil futures settled at $108.01 a barrel.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.42% in early Asia trade.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was poised to fall, with the Chicago contract at 52,460 and the futures contract in Osaka at 52,390, compared to the index's previous close of 53,603.65.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 24,782, lower than the index's last close of 24,856.43.
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