Asia markets brace for Trump’s promised assault on Iranian infrastructure

Oil prices rose, bonds fell and stocks ‌were mixed at the start of trading in Asia on Monday as US President Donald Trump vowed “hell” if Tehran does not meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s repeated threats to destroy civilian infrastructure including power plants and bridges if the vital waterway is not open by ​Tuesday have put traders on edge for reciprocal attacks by Iran on targets in the Gulf states. With liquidity thin ​as many countries around the region observed holidays on Monday, S&P 500 e-mini futures sank 0.2%, while ⁠MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.5%. The Nikkei 225 rose 1.2%, as South Korea’s Kospi advanced ​2%. Brent crude futures opened higher, rising 1.4% to $110.58 a barrel after members of the OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to raise its oil ​output quotas by 206,000 barrels per day for May.