New Delhi, 18 May (H.S.): Global financial markets remain under pressure amid rising geopolitical tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump once again warned of potential military action against Iran. The renewed threat has triggered widespread nervousness across international markets.

U.S. markets closed lower in the previous trading session, Dow Jones Futures continued to trade in negative territory today, European markets also remained under sustained pressure, and Asian markets largely witnessed a broad-based sell-off.

President Donald Trump warned that the United States could resume strong military action against Iran if a peace agreement fails to materialize. According to Trump, Washington seeks a constructive and positive deal; however, if Iran does not present an acceptable proposal, strict action could be taken against the country.

Following these remarks, fears of escalating tensions in West Asia have resurfaced, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty across global financial markets. Investor sentiment weakened significantly due to concerns that any further escalation could destabilize global trade and energy markets.

As a result, U.S. markets ended the previous session sharply lower. The S&P 500 Index declined by 92.74 points, or 1.24 percent, to close at 7,408.50. Similarly, the Nasdaq Composite fell 410.08 points, or 1.54 percent, ending the session at 26,225.14.

Meanwhile, Dow Jones Futures were also trading weak today, down by 407.80 points, or 0.83 percent, at 49,118.37.

European markets also remained under heavy selling pressure throughout the previous session. The FTSE Index dropped 177.56 points, or 1.74 percent, to close at 10,195.37. Likewise, the CAC Index slipped 129.72 points, or 1.63 percent, to settle at 7,952.55. The DAX Index also registered a steep decline, falling 505.69 points, or 2.11 percent, to close at 23,950.57.

Asian markets also witnessed continued weakness during today’s trading session. Out of the nine major Asian indices, eight were trading in negative territory, while only one index managed to remain in the green.

The Kospi Index emerged as the sole gainer in the Asian region, trading 0.25 percent higher at 7,547.72.

On the other hand, Gift Nifty declined by 160 points, or 0.67 percent, to trade at 23,548. Similarly, the Straits Times Index weakened by 0.53 percent to 4,962.54.

The Jakarta Composite Index witnessed particularly sharp losses, plunging 270.25 points, or 4.02 percent, to 6,453.07.

Likewise, the Hang Seng Index dropped 436.73 points, or 1.68 percent, to 25,526. The Taiwan Weighted Index also fell significantly, declining 501.39 points, or 1.22 percent, to 40,670.97.

In addition, the Nikkei Index was trading lower by 678.29 points, or 1.10 percent, at 60,731. The Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.34 percent to 4,121.51, while the SET Composite Index edged down 0.08 percent to 1,516.75.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar