Asian stock markets closed lower this Thursday (2), as President Donald Trump maintained the rhetoric of war in his first national broadcast since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, saying that the US will continue to attack Iran with force.
Leading the movement in Asia, the South Korean Kospi index fell 4.47% in Seoul, to 5,234.05 points, while the Japanese Nikkei fell 2.38% in Tokyo, to 52,463.27 points. The Taiex fell 1.82% in Taiwan, to 32,572.42 points, and the Hang Seng lost 0.70% in Hong Kong, to 25,116.53 points.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.74%, to 3,919.29 points, and the less comprehensive Shenzhen Composite, fell 1.59%, to 2,536.25 points.
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“We are going to hit them extremely hard in the next two to three weeks. We are going to take them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” said the American president, reiterating the threatening tone.
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Trump did not mention the imminent deadline he had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial sea lane for global oil and gas transport, after previously threatening Tehran with attacks by US forces on the country’s energy infrastructure if the strait was not reopened.
In Oceania, the Australian stock market was also in the red today: the S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.06% in Sydney, to 8,579.50 points.
