A pedestrian walks past an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei 225 stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on March 23, 2026. <\/p>\n
Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Asia-Pacific markets closed mostly lower Tuesday as investors weighed developments in U.S.-Iran negotiations.<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump and his national security team on Monday discussed<\/a> Iran’s reported offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade and ending the conflict, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.<\/p>\n It remains unclear whether Trump, who has said sanctions relief would come only once a deal is “100% complete,” is willing to consider the proposal as a pathway to de-escalation in the two-month-long conflict.<\/p>\n “I will confirm the president has met with his national security team this morning,” Leavitt said at a press briefing Monday afternoon when asked about the reports.<\/p>\n Japan’s Nikkei 225<\/a> declined 1.02% to close at 59,917.46 after notching a record high on Monday, while the Topix added 0.99% to 3,772.19. South Korea’s Kospi <\/a>rose 0.39% to 6,641.02 while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 0.86% to 1,215.58.<\/p>\n Japan’s central bank kept its policy rate steady at 0.75% on Tuesday, while revising its inflation estimates upwards as the Iran war raises supply-side risks.<\/p>\n In Australia, the\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a> lost 0.64% to 8,710.7.<\/p>\n Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index<\/a> lost 0.48% as o its last hour of trading, while the CSI 300 declined 0.27% to 4,758.21.<\/p>\n Shares of Chinese optical computing firm Lightelligence<\/a> surged over 380% on its debut on Tuesday. The company sold 13.8 million shares at HK$183.20 each, raising about HK$2.53 billion ($323 million) in gross proceeds, according to its filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shares of Contemporary Amperex Technology<\/a> fell 7% after the company kicked off a roughly $5 billion share offering in Hong Kong<\/a>.<\/p>\n India’s Nifty 50<\/a> was down 0.28% as of 3:25 a.m. ET, while the BSE Sensex lost 0.47%.<\/p>\n U.S. futures edged higher, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures<\/a> adding 0.12%, or 57 points. S&P 500 futures<\/a> rose 0.14%, while Nasdaq 100 futures<\/a> added 0.15%.<\/p>\n Overnight in the U.S., the\u00a0S&P 500<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Nasdaq Composite<\/a>\u00a0rose to new record highs but gains were limited as stalled Iran peace talks and a fresh escalation in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher.<\/p>\n The broad market index added 0.12% and closed at a record level of 7,173.91. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.20% and notched a closing record of 24,887.10. Both indexes also\u00a0reached new all-time highs<\/a>\u00a0in the session. The\u00a0Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0fell 62.92 points, or 0.13%, to settle at 49,167.79.<\/p>\n \u2014 CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Yun Li contributed to this report.<\/p>\n