View of the Skytree from Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo
Jackal Pan | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets fell Wednesday, as escalating tensions between Israel and Iran weigh on investor sentiment.
Adding fuel to fire, U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing a military strike on Iran, while demanding the country’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “surrender,” former and current U.S. officials told NBC News.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, demanded “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” by Iran.
“Comments from President Trump have triggered speculation that the U.S. will get more involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel that escalated significantly five days ago,” ANZ analysts wrote in a note.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.15%, and the Topix declined 0.18%. South Korea’s Kospi slid 0.44% and the small-cap Kosdaq was 0.15% lower.
Japan exports in May declined 1.7% year on year, softer than the 3.8% decline expected by Reuters. The data comes a day after the Bank of Japan highlighted in its monetary policy statement that the country’s growth was likely to “moderate” on the back of factors like trade, which would lead to a slowdown in overseas economies and a decline in domestic corporate profits.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.1%.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index last traded at 23,813, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI’s last close of 23,980.30.
U.S. stock futures inched lower as traders brace for the Federal Reserve’s rate decision due Wednesday afternoon stateside.
Overnight on Wall Street, all three major averages ended the trading day lower. the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 299.29 points, or 0.70%, to close at 42,215.80. The S&P 500 shed 0.84% to end at 5,982.72, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.91% and settled at 19,521.09.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Brian Evans contributed to this report.
Japan exports fall at sharpest pace in 8 months, down 1.7%
Exports from Japan in May declined 1.7% year on year, marking the sharpest decline since September 2024.
The fall was softer than the 3.8% decline forecasted by economists polled by Reuters, but was a reversal compared to the 2% gain recorded in April.
Falling exports had already made a dent in Japan’s GDP, with the country’s economy shrinking 0.2% in the quarter ending March, compared to the preceding period, marking the first time in a year that the economy contracted on a quarter-on-quarter basis.
Imports to the world’s third largest economy fell 7.7% in May, compared to the Reuters poll expectations of a 6.7% decline.
Read the full story here.
—Lim Hui Jie
Stocks close in negative territory
The three major averages finished Tuesday’s session lower.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 299.29 points, or 0.7%, to end at 42,215.80. The S&P 500 lost 0.84%, closing at 5,982.72, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.91% to finish at 19,521.09.
— Sean Conlon
Oil prices close more than 4% higher
Crude oil futures finished the session more than 4% higher, after President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender and threatened its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The U.S. crude oil contract for July delivery gained $3.07, or 4.28%, to close at $74.84 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent for August rose $3.22, or 4.4%, to $76.45.
Oil prices had closed lower Monday on reports that Iran was seeking a ceasefire with Israel, but those hopes faded as the conflict went on for a fifth day with Trump taking a harder line against Iran.
Prices have risen about 10% since Israel launched its air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs on Friday.
— Spencer Kimball
Trump threatens Iran’s leader in Truth Social posts
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One after departing early from the the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington, June 17, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump has posted three times on Truth Social in the past hour in a series of messages that appears to be threatening Iran and its political leader Ali Khamenei.
In the first post, Trump wrote that “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
The second post hinted a potential future attack from the United States on Iran. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote. “He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The third post simply reads “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
— Jesse Pound
