Stocks Fall & Oil Prices Rise As Iran ‘Clock Is Ticking’

May 18, 2026 5:07 am

HONG KONG (AP) — World shares are mostly lower and oil prices have jumped after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” as talks over a permanent end to the war stall. Markets in Japan and South Korea pulled back from their records. Yields on Japanese government bonds shot higher. Investors have remained concerned about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global energy flows. A drone strike over the weekend on a United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant raised worries over further escalations in the region. Elevated oil prices are also driving a global bond rout, and U.S. futures are lower after stocks on Wall Street fell Friday.