Asia-Pacific Markets Rise on Middle East Ceasefire Hopes as US-Iran Tensions Simmer

Asia-Pacific markets opened higher Tuesday amid hopes for a resolution to the Middle East conflict, even as tensions between Iran and the U.S. continue to simmer. "Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table— in his own imagination— into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering," Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a X post. "We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield," Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's top negotiator, added. This comes after President Donald Trump on Monday said "lots of bombs [will] start going off" if no deal is reached before a shaky ceasefire with Tehran expires Tuesday evening, threatening Iran with overwhelming military force. The threats come even as a U.S. delegation prepared to return to Pakistan for a potential second round of peace talks.